


The Emerald

by dragonlands



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 1700s Au, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, Blowjobs, Bottom Harry, But the vampires are probably different than you'd expect, Fluff, Grinding, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Louis is pirate, M/M, Pirates, Religious Conflict, Romance, Sick Harry, Smut, Top Louis, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vampires, alcohol use, mention of drug use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-06 01:37:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 50,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1839589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonlands/pseuds/dragonlands
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry's got everything under control and the paradise the Bible promises to him doesn't seem too far away. Louis' got everything under control while building his own paradise on earth. Their worlds crash when Louis' forced by the situation to take Harry hostage on his ship, and suddenly nothing's under control for either of them.</p><p>Or where Louis is a pirate captain searching for a better life and Harry is a religious noble boy who's presumably dying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not particularly religious so don't take those themes that seriously if you don't like that sort of thing. I'm just trying to explore religion and religious people respectfully but also a little critically, and writing Harry in this is really interesting. Also there will be a lot more fantasy in this than you'd think by the first few chapters.
> 
> Thank you to my amazing beta, littlehazspoon.
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy reading!
> 
> I don't own one direction, or most of the characters in this fic. I do own Nora, though.

A man climbed on the stage and started listing the crimes captain Louis Calder and his crew had committed. The list included murders, robberies and - surprise, surprise - piracy. Harry fingered a loose string hanging from his sleeve, wishing that they would just get this over with.

Gemma, his sister, wrapped her arms around Harry, pulling him to her side. Harry sighed deeply, inhaling Gemma's floral scent.

The crowd around them quieted, and Harry lifted his eyes to the stage. The first pirate must've been the captain, but it was hard to believe. His caramel hair was nearly touching his shoulders, and his thick stubble could hardly be called a beard. He was standing straight, and if Harry wasn't completely wrong, he was grinning. The man must've been on his thirties at most.

"Is that the infamous Captain Calder?" Gemma asked unbelievingly. "I feel almost betrayed."

Harry forced out a laugh, even though his head hurt. "Poor Gemma."

Gemma stuck her tongue out at him.

"Does captain Calder have any final words?" the executioner asked mockingly as he threaded the noose around the pirate’s neck. The rope was ready to steal so many lives in so little time. Harry felt nauseous.

It was so silent that if someone had dropped a handkerchief, everyone would've heard it.

The captain was still smiling, looking relaxed.

"It's quite sad,” he said, taking his hand - that had been tied up just a moment ago - from behind his back. "That you still tend to believe I'll have to say my final words."

The hatch under his feet opened, and he should've fallen and died as his neck broke, but instead, he grabbed the rope so fast it almost blurred in Harry's eyes, and pulled the loop away from his neck, swinging back to the stage holding onto the rope.

Before anyone could react, Harry was pulled backwards, and he felt a cold blade pressing against his neck.

"What do we have here?" the man who was holding the knife breathed into his ear. Gemma tried to kick him. He pressed the knife tighter.

"Don't be so restless dear,” the man said. Harry felt him jolt, like someone had hit him from behind.

"I recommend that no one touches me if these two persons' lives are important to you,” he told the person who had punched him in a sharp tone. "Because if you stab me, I’ll be taking these royal siblings with me to hell, or wherever that is that I'm going."

Nora - Gemma’s maid - walked to face them. She had always been a bit too spontaneous for a maid.

"If they get hurt, you'll die,” she said matter-of-factly whilst holding a gun. Harry looked around but couldn't work out where she'd gotten it. She flicked her long, blonde hair out of her face, and Harry shivered from her icy glare, though the man just snorted in retaliation.

"Put your hands slowly above your head and stay still or I'll shoot you!” a guard commanded. Harry turned his attention back to the stage from his own stalemate. The captain was still calm while being threatened with a rifle.

"Your commands conflict with each other,” the captain said. "I can't put my hands above my head if I have to stay still. And besides, I recommend you to keep an eye out there instead-" he pointed at where Harry and Gemma were standing, directing his next words at their father "-and think of your orders again because if you shoot me or any of my crew, my mate here will kill your offspring, who, need I remind you, are currently being threatened with a knife."

Steering a smirk at Harry, Louis looked him straight in the eyes. Harry turned away as his gaze started to feel too intense. When he looked again, Louis had directed his attention to the duke of Cheshire, Harry's father.

"Someone do something!" the duke shouted. "I'll give the person a thousand pounds!"

"Ah," Louis said. "Zayn, I think this guy needs a little bit of motivation."

The man behind them - Zayn apparently - pressed the knife tighter until Harry felt something draining along his neck.

"I would like to give you more time to think, but there's blood on your son's neck,” Calder remarked. His hands were curled into fists, making Harry wonder if he actually was as calm as he seemed. "Everybody has to take a step away from Zayn and the two Styles, free my crew and let us leave safely. Then, we _might_ not kill your kids."

"But...” the duke said, however, one look at his suffering children was enough for him. "Do what the pirate says.”

"Now we're talking,” the captain said when the guards went to free the other pirates - though they didn't look thrilled about it.

"Zayn, bring the siblings here," he heard Louis instruct.

"Who are you, dear, and why didn't you step away when I told you to?" he asked Nora, who had remained stationary. "Do you like to play with death?"

"No, I do not and I really would appreciate it if you didn’t kill me or my employers," she asked. "Also, pirates are pretty fascinating, don't you think?"

Harry wanted to punch her, or tell her to run as fast as she could. Maybe both.

"Fascinating?" the captain snorted. "Niall, get her. She's annoying me."

"Leave her alone, you filthy criminal!" Gemma shouted as Zayn dragged them to the captain. None of the pirates paid any attention to her screaming. Instead, Zayn released Harry so that the captain could take him, and Louis pulled him close by his hair.

"Harry Styles," he murmured, like he was testing the name.

"You look familiar,” Harry dared to say. He was so close to the other male's face that he could make out the shade of Louis' eyes. They were deep blue, a rare color; somewhere between the water from coral reefs and a sea storm. They did look familiar.

The older man flashed him a grin that didn't reach his eyes, and brushed his fingers against Harry's forehead. For a second Harry felt dizzy. "You too Curly."

"All your crew is free to go, now free Harry and Gemma and leave!" their father sounded desperate, and Harry felt bad for him even though he himself was the one in danger here. His dad trusted these pirates to return them safely. At least _he_ knew it was likely he wouldn't make it alive.

It wasn't really a new thought for him - dying. His muscles had started to burn worse than normal following any of his daily physical activities when he was fifteen. The cramping pain had kept getting worse and worse year after year, and now it was always there, lingering in his body even on easier days.

Of course, his father had hired the best doctors in the country to find out what was wrong with him, but they never found anything. He was completely healthy, except that he was not. They gave him lavender salves and told him to take a walk every day, but Harry knew that was what the physicians told those who they believed had no hope left.

"What do you think, Harry? Maybe I'll free one of you? Or all of you, if you ask _very_ nicely. What do you think I should do?" The tone of Louis’ voice was airy, but there was a hint of danger to it. Harry decided to ignore that hint.

"I think, that you won't give a shit about what I have to say either way,” he said, looking the captain straight in the eyes.

"Ow!" he heard someone shout. He shifted his eyes from Louis to see who it was. It was the pirate who was holding Nora. She had bitten his arm.

"Ew! You taste disgusting!" Nora exclaimed. She was going to get herself killed in less than a minute at this rate if she kept the sassy attitude going, Harry thought. But against his assumption, the pirate burst out laughing.

"Maybe you'd like to taste some other part of my body?" the man asked. He had a thick Irish accent.

"Anything that isn't that bad is fine,” Nora answered, sending the pirate into a new round of laughter. Harry grimaced. He wasn't sure if she had understood the meaning behind the blond pirate's words.

"They'll shoot us the minute we release these two,” Zayn murmured to Louis, still holding a knife to Gemma's throat.

"Yes, Zayn, I know," Calder answered. The way they spoke to each other wasn’t what you would have expected from pirates. It wasn't mocking - it was soft, as if these criminals actually cared for each other.

"We'll give them back to you at the docks!" Louis announced, gesturing to his crew to back up. "Maybe,” he added so quietly that only Harry could hear him. He was positive Calder's “maybe” meant never.

He continued walking along the pirates towards the docks, Louis' gun pressed to his head. The captain's hand was shaking. It wouldn't be visible to anyone a few feets away, let alone dozens, but Harry could spot the slight tremble.

From the corner of his eye he saw Nora trying to fight Niall, the pirate apparently finding it funny. Gemma stayed still in Zayn's arms, but Harry was quite sure it was due to the fact that there was a knife pressed to her throat, not from the lack of self-defensive instinct.

Harry couldn't bring himself to fight. He could've blamed it on a bad day with his muscles, but really, there was something else, something in Louis' eyes, something _familiar_. He couldn't stand how it was right at the tip of his tongue but at the same time, he just couldn't remember, and he was pretty sure there _was_ something to remember.

When they reached the docks Harry was angry with himself because the first word that came to his mind when he saw the pirate ship was beautiful. It wasn't like the other wood colored ship's at the dock - it was painted dark green, and it had orange pattern around the gunwale. The ship's name,  _ The Emerald _ , was painted to the side in white, cursive letters. The ship itself was smaller than the vast merchant ships, but the sails were huge. It made shivers run through his spine.

The crew rushed back into their ship, leaving only him, Gemma, Nora and the pirates holding them outside. The captain let go of him.

Was he actually going to keep his promise?

Harry would've started running, but he was too confused, not prepared for that. And again, his muscles felt like they had been pulled through a meat mincing machine.

He heard footsteps, Gemma's, he guessed, then a round of gunshots.

That woke him up from his trance, and he turned to see if Gemma was alright. She was, but she had stopped running too. Zayn caught her quickly again, pressing the knife back to her throat.

He turned to see Nora. She was alright too, but the man who had been holding her wasn't. He was lying on the pavement, holding his bleeding leg and swearing loudly.

One of his dad's guards was standing in a shooting position, a bit of smoke coming from the head of his rifle. The others looked ready to shoot too.

From Harry’s point of view, that had been the stupidest thing they could've done.

"Josh, take Niall to safety. Calum, grab the girl. Ashton, the boy!" Harry heard Louis command, and after a few seconds a gun was pressed to his head again.

"Stop! Stop!" the duke shouted, panicked as one of the other shots had nearly hit the captain. "Don't shoot them or they'll kill Harry and Gemma!"

"But sir-" the general protested, but he was cut off.

" _No no no_! I will give - no one will have to pay taxes for the next month if they don't get hurt!"

"And you believe they will be safe on the pirate ship?" he asked pityingly, but lowered his rifle nonetheless. He didn't answer as he was hysterical; crying and shouting nonsense all at once.

"Mum, dad, I love you!" Harry shouted, and that was the last thing he was able to utter before he was dragged into the ship and a gag was placed to his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and tell me your thoughts about this in comments or come talk to me on my
> 
> Twitter: @surfingljp
> 
> Tumblr: theharryandlouisthing
> 
> hope you're having a good day/night :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's got everything under control and the paradise the Bible promises to him doesn't seem too far away. Louis' got everything under control while building his own paradise on earth. Their worlds crash when Louis' forced by the situation to take Harry hostage on his ship, and suddenly nothing's under control for either of them.
> 
> Or where Louis is a pirate captain searching for a better life and Harry is a religious noble boy who's presumably dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii again! So I got this chapter ready in less than a week, yayy! And it's even longer! But I'm going to a holiday some time next week, so the next chapter might takes a bit longer. Sorry. And thank you to my beta littlehazspoon :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading this, because I really enjoy writing this :)
> 
> (I don't own most of the characters in this fic.)

Harry was leaning against Gemma's knees, trying to get into a as comfortable position as he could in a small cell on the ship's hold. Nora was walking in circles, making the Styles siblings feel even more nervous.

"Hey! This is a good one! When they come to give us food, we can beat them up – because surely they aren't all gonna come along to give us food. Then we'll run and hide inside the ship, and when it lands, we can escape. If we tell some honorable captain what happened to us they'll be bound to ship us back home! I'm a genius!" Nora shouted happily, announcing her escape plan Z. Gemma had turned down all of the previous.

"What if they _don't_ bring us food?" Gemma suggested. "They're pirates after all. And even if they did bring us food, they would probably give it through the bars"

"The food doesn't fit through the bars", they heard an Irish accented voice answer. "So I have to get in there and so help you to fulfill your genius plan. Also my right leg is pretty useless, so that'll give you a chance." He thrust the key into the keyhole. "But before I open the door, I would like to remind you of Louis Calder's ingenuity – it's all for your own good. If you did escape, he'd find you. I promise."

The Irish boy turned the key. They heard a click as the door opened.

Gemma and Harry didn't even bother to get up, but Nora had energy enough for all three of them. First she took the soup and bread from the pirate very politely, putting them down, and then attacked him. Harry wanted to bang his head against a wall – he already felt like he was so he was halfway there.

It wasn't a long fight, but there was a click somewhere. The door had closed, and with it slamming shut, the key dropped to the floor on the other side of the door.

The fighting pair didn't notice this before Nora was pinched against the wall.

"Shit – did the door – oh mother of fucks!" the pirate swore. "Well, now I'm locked in there with you. Thank you very much." He immediately let go of Nora, and after standing there awkward for few seconds, he sat down next to Harry and Gemma.

"I'm Niall Horan. I'm from Mullingar, Ireland", he said, holding his leg with a pained expression. "And please don't attack me anymore. My leg just got shot." He offered his hand.

"Wow, a pirate with manners, that's unheard of", Gemma grunted, but Harry desided to be polite so he took his hand.

"Harry Styles, from Cheshire", he said, forcing a little smile. A bit of charm was never bad.

"Nora Walters. I'm from Cheshire too", she said, not offering her hand but showing him her tongue. "How are you even walking?"

"The bullet didn't hit the knee or any bone fortunately, only the muscle on my thigh. But it still hurts like hell, trust me", Niall replied, turning into Gemma and waiting for answer.

"Why does my name matter?" Gemma said.

"She's Gemma", Nora said helpfully.

"Nice to meet you", Niall tried, and laughed when he got no answer from Gemma.

"What are they – you – going to do for us now?" Nora asked, not sounding even a slightest bit afraid, just interested.

"Honestly talking, I don't know. But if you are asking is Louis going to kill you, the answer's no. He doesn't kill anyone without a reason" he answered shrugging.

"That's not what I've heard", Harry broke in. "Isn't he supposed to be the most infamous pirate on these waters?"

"I never said he can't be cruel, he just isn't stupid. He knows you alive are the only thing that kept your parents from killing us on the docks, and he knows he can get into same kind of situation again", Niall explained.

"Does he think he can get away from law every time he uses us as his shield?" Gemma commented sarcastically.

"No, I think it's money he wants. He uses a hella lot of money. Or maybe he takes it somewhere... I don't know where though. I could do with few extra rubies."

"He takes it somewhere? Like some kind of treasure island? If I ever get away from this ship, I'll search for that place!" Nora said excitedly. Niall just laughed at it.

"Wouldn't recommend it. Captain'd probably kill you for that", he answered. She pouted, making Gemma look like she was an inch apart from turning into a screaming hurricane.

"Why're you here?" Gemma asked. "What information did the captain send you to seek, because I'm not stupid and I know that's the case."

"What? No! I'm here from my own will to bring you food but this lovely lady here" he gestured to Nora "decided it would be good idea to lock me in here, and now I'm trying to make a conversation because of the nice person I am", Niall said.

"I didn't want you here, I was trying to escape!" Nora defended.

"That's always good to tell your captor."

"Nah, you weren't the one who made the decision. And moreover you already knew"

"You have a sharp tongue"

"Wanna try it?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Gemma screamed before Niall could answer. "You two disgust me. Or not really you, Niall, I can expect this kind of behavior from you, but Nora! What would your parents say?"

"I'm not a child you know", Nora snapped. "If I want to flirt with pirates, it's my own problem."

Niall chuckled, earning a death glare from both, Gemma and – surprisingly – Nora.

"And you, don't fucking laugh at me!" Nora commanded angrily. "I'm serious. All my fucking life I've been working in your castle – no offence, I love you guys, just not working for you – my mother telling me to be modest and keep my head down, just because I'm a peasant girl! If I was born as a boy, they would've given me much more appreciation!"

Harry bit his lips to keep himself from commenting. He was rather positive that his life was harder than Nora's, but it would be no use telling that to her. That'd be really selfish of him also.

"You're their servant?" Niall asked.

"I was. I'm on the sea right now, in a pirate ship. If I can make it alive from here, I won't be anyone's servant."

"It wasn't meant to be offencive", Niall answered, sounding genuine. "I used to work as a stable boy for a family that definitely wasn't nice... But the horses were even worse. Once, when I was new there, I offered a carrot to one but it -"

"Already chatting up the ladies?" Zayn, the man who had held knife against Harry's and Gemma's throats, interrupted. "That's so you Ni... And how did you even end up there? Louis is looking for you."

"These prisoners are way more scary than you'd think", Niall explained. "The key's on the floor. Help me out of here."

Zayn rolled his eyes, but picked the key from the floor and opened the door. He walked to the cell looking so very confident even Nora stayed still and quiet. He helped Niall up and exited the cell.

"Nora, do you wanna come with me? If you promise to behave I can introduce you to the captain", Niall suggested grinning, making Nora jump from her position on the floor.

"I'll give him a good word about you!" she promised as Zayn locked the door, rolling his eyes at Niall.

"I do not question that", Gemma mumbled under her breath.

Niall started to talk the moment the cell door closed, making Nora laugh loudly.

"But I love horses!" they heard Nora giggle, before their voices fade away.

"She should use her brain more, or she's definately going to ge herself killed", Gemma sighed.

"Nora? I think at the moment she's in the best conditions of us all", Harry answered with raised eyebrows. "You on the other hand would probably consider every possible resolution to the situation, coming to the conclusion that there's no way for us to escape. You use your brain way too much to stay alive on this ship."

Gemma shoved his side gently. "You are the one to speak, after we hired the bible fanatic doctor I always find you either your nose on the bible or trying to Christianize atheists. Or having a deep conversation with a priest about the meaning of life. What is it by the way?"

Harry shoved her back, because she was wearing a stupid grin.

"I don't know the meaning of life, only God does. So I've came to the conclusion we have to live like God meant, and we can find the directions for that from the bible. Then we get to Heaven after we die, and hopefully we'll find out the meaning of life there."

Gemma had stopped looking playful, and she pressed Harry a bit tighter against her chest. "You'll get to Heaven Hazza, I'm sure of that", she said emphatically. "Let's sleep honey."

Harry nodded, and curled into a bit tighter ball. It took him long to fall asleep, like usual, but he finally did.

Sleep was a better place than wake; it was dark, comforting and safe. And there was no pain.

 

...

 

Harry woke up his back aching, due to the weird position he had been sleeping. He could only imagine how Gemma felt after sleeping against the rough wall.

He opened his eyes, finding himself staring into Niall's sky blue eyes. He jolted from surprise, waking Gemma up.

"Morning!" Niall said brightly.

"Good morning. What're you doing here?" Harry asked. He didn't feel sleepy anymore, only tired and burned out if that made any sense.

"The captain wants to meet you but he doesn't want to come down here. So you come with me", Niall said.

"And if we don't?" Harry asked, even though he wasn't really considering that option, he was just curious.

"Then he'll send some more people to carry you to his room", Niall told. "I think you better come with me. For your own safety."

"Because this ship is so safe", Gemma said, pushing Harry gently away so she could stretch. Harry heard her bones crack.

"This ship actually is very safe, believe it or not", Niall said. "Or, safe for the people the captain wants to keep safe", he then corrected. _How reassuring_ , Harry thought.

Gemma helped Harry to get up, and Harry let her walk first through the door. They followed Niall up to the deck, staying close to each other while passing pirates.

When they reached Louis' cabin, Niall guided them in, but didn't come along. He gave them thumbs up, and left.

Harry looked around in the room. It was probably captain's private dining room. There was a table with eight chairs around it, and a vase on the table. The walls were painted dark brown. Louis was sitting on one of the upholstered chairs, and he gestured them to sit down opposite to him.

Gemma sat, pulling Harry to her lap. Harry tried to yank away. Louis raised his eyebrows at the scene.

"I'm rather positive that your brother's not five", he said seemingly polite, making Harry blush. Gemma freed him and he sat next to her, a bit embarrassed, but he actually kind of liked it when someone said it aloud. He could take care of himself.

"I guess you know why you are here?" he asked after Harry had taken his own seat and they had settled a bit.

"Yes, Niall told us you believe you can use us as some kind on shield against the government and the king because our mother is his little sister. You won't succeed though. The king's army is very powerful, and they will rescue us. Then you'll finally be hung like you should've been a long time ago", Gemma retorted.

"I think I should give you one point, because you got Niall right. Yes, he's involved. But this is not so tragic and planned out thing you make it out to be. You are not that important kids, sorry. Harry. Do you have any better ideas?" the captain said, amused.

"You are a captain and you should have a bit better manners than your pirates, and still you haven't introduced yourself to us whereas Niall did", Gemma interrupted.

"I am a rational person, and I feel like we need no introduction. I am Louis Calder, a pirate captain, I'm sure you've heard a lot of horror stories about me." He flashed them a grin. "You're Harry and Gemma Styles, princess Anne's and Duke Styles' children", Louis answered. "Well. Harry. Any better ideas than your sister of the subject 'why you're here'?"

Harry sighed in annoyance. "It's Mr. Styles for you."

"It's whatever the hell I want for me. Well?"

"Because our dad's army didn't listen to your orders and shot Niall and to protect your own filthy lives you kidnapped us", Harry said, not looking at the captain.

"Exellent. Ten out of ten. Even though I'd like to correct you that in fact, our lives are just as worthy than yours. Nevertheless, I'll forgive you because your education has been inadequate", Louis told him. "But now, when you are here, I naturally want to get all possible use from you. So I'm going to be completely honest with you.

"You can make a choice. Either you will stay on that cell till the day I figure out what I'm going to do with you or you can be almost free on this ship and act like a honorable crew member."

"Honorable", Gemma coughed to her fist.

"Are you hinting you can't act like that?" Louis asked.

"I think you know exactly what she's hinting", Harry answered, making the captain laugh.

"Maybe, but you still haven't answered my question yet. If you won't answer, I will make the decision for you", Louis said, tilting his head to the side.

"Well obviously we choose the most freedom involving option. So the last one. I choose it, at least", Harry told.

"Me too", Gemma agreed.

"Awesome. We don't have many rules on this ship, but you should remember that we are all very loyal to each other. So don't think I won't find out and punish you if you plan something I don't like." Louis gave them a challenging glare.

Harry was pretty sure that was a horrible misuse of the word loyal. More like scared-of-the-crazy-captain. Of course he didn't say his words out loud.

"And not in the nicest form of punishing, if you get what I'm saying", Louis added, making the Styles siblings grit their teeth in repugnance. "Well, if you have no questions you are free to leave now."

Harry stood up to leave, but Gemma opened her mouth. "And where have you planned for us to sleep?"

"Oh, that. You're both welcomed to my bed", Louis answered with a little wink. "But if that doesn't sound inviting enough Niall gave Nora his room, so you can sleep there Gemma." Gemma bridled at the pirate captain using her first name, but kept herself from complaining. "I don't know about you Harry. I think you can just ask the other boys. Still, keep in mind I have a huge and soft bed." Louis gave Harry another wink.

"I'm fine by myself, thank you very much", he said a bit disgusted by the captain's words.

"Welcome to the Emerald girls, enjoy the stay!" he shouted as they exited the room. It annoyed Harry, but he didn't dare to correct him

"The captain was flirting with you", Gemma said after they were out from the earshot. "I have no idea what it means, but I recommend you to stay away from him. There are some pretty weird rumours you know..."

Harry grimaced.

"He wasn't flirting. He was trying to make me uncomfortable." Harry said it as a fact. Because men didn't flirt with other men, period.

"Whatever you say."

 

...

 

Harry's first days on the Emerald weren't that fun. He was avoiding talking to anyone but Gemma and what he just had to answer to some pirate who was telling him how wrong he peeled potatoes, and how he had to promise he'd peel the next one without removing half of the potato. He promised, but he never succeeded, so they put Gemma in that job. She was much better at it.

Nora was the only one of the three of them who seemed to have fun on the ship, and at first Harry and Gemma were mad at her. She had changed her gray dress to a pair of Niall's trousers that fit her because they were about the same height, and borrowed a shirt from Anton - the small boy who had made Harry feel bad at the hangings - because Niall's shoulders were so much broader than hers. He was the one who climbed to the crow's nest and screamed if there was land or something else important on the horizon.

When Harry was sitting on his tiny and uncomfortable bed, thinking about the pros and cons about the silent treatment towards the pirates, his roommate Ashton entered the room.

"Hi,” he said quietly.

"It speaks," Ashton sounded honestly surprised. "What made you change your mind about the not speaking-thing."

"I realized it was pointless. I'm stuck on this ship anyways,” he said shrugging.

"Cool. You just won me five pounds,” Ashton said.

Harry snorted. "You're welcome, I guess?"

"Thanks babe. What about your sister?"

"What about my sister?" Harry asked a bit confused.

"Is she talking too? I could show you two ‘round this ship,” Ashton suggested.

"I don't think she is,” Harry sighed.

"That's a shame,” Ashton said.

"I can still ask her to come with us?"

"That'd be great."

They found Gemma from her and Nora's room – well, originally it was Niall's, but the girls had occupied it – , like would be suspected.

"Ashton asked if we'd like him to show us around the ship,” Harry asked Gemma carefully.

"I have nothing better to do so I guess why not?" she said to their both surprise, and stood up. "But isn't the weather horrible up there?"

"Yeah, pretty much. But you can borrow my jacket if you want to. And I wouldn't recommend you to wear that hat. It will fly away,” Ashton advised, offering his jacket to Gemma.

So they ended up going to the deck with Harry wearing Ashton's jacket, and Gemma still having the fancy purple hat on her head. Ashton had rolled his eyes at her.

The wind was blowing hard, the small water drops feeling like they were making paper cuts to Harry's face. The air smelt like salt, fish and seaweed, and one could say it was a bad smell, but Harry wasn't so sure – the smell was fresh and it screamed freedom and power, not like the stale smell in the castle that made him feel captive.

Of course it was pretty stupid thought considering he was more captive now than he had ever been on the castle.

"Shit!" Gemma's scream woke him from his thoughts. He turned to look at her.

The wind had grabbed her hat, and flew it to the underside of the mainsail.

It was closer to him than her, so he took few quick steps, and noticed that Ashton had moved forward too.

"What did I tell you?” Ashton reminded. "I'll get it for you."

"She's my sister. Stay away from her, pirate!" He wasn't quite sure why he said that – Ashton seemed a nice lad if you didn't consider the fact he was a pirate.

"Oh, sorry,” Ashton said quietly, backing up. Harry reminded himself that he shouldn't be feeling guilty as he tried reach to the hat. He couldn't quite reach, so he jumped a little, and when that didn't work a bit more.

"Stop that, I can get it myself,” Gemma ordered, but Harry didn't care. He could get a damn hat from a damn sail.

He jumped a bit higher again, now touching the hat, when he heard a mocking voice.

"Such a little gentleman you are,” Louis chuckled, not looking at all bothered by the wet wind. Harry didn't pay attention to him but kept jumping to get the hat.

"Do you know what? I just realized you look like some kind of animal – a cat. Kitten."

Harry finally jumped high enough to grab the hat, and when he fell back down he slipped on the wet deck and tumbled to the ground. His back hurt, but he closed his eyes for few seconds to get to a point where he could ignore the pain.

"What the fuck?" Harry asked a bit taken aback. He had been called handsome, charming, scary, polite, clever, wise and even a manwhore, and lately he'd heard whispers about 'the poor lad', but his sister and mother had always been the only people who called him cute. And here this pirate was standing, calling him a fucking Kitten.

"Why so confused Kitten?" Louis asked, seemingly enjoying Harry's uncomfortableness.

"Don't call me that,” Harry said, almost succeeding to produce a cold voice.

"What 'chu gonna do about it?" Louis looked pleased. "By the way, there's a pirate trying to hit on your sister. And maybe one's trying that on her brother too," Louis said, eyes twinkling with mischief.

"That's not funny,” Harry answered.

"Flirting? I agree with you on that; it's very serious business. Actually, I think they should write books about it, so you could make a job out of it,” Louis said chuckling.

"Louis, you gotta see this, we should go to Portugal next – oh, hi Harry." Zayn stopped talking when he spotted Harry.

"Portugal? I like Portugal. It's warm. And we can go to Spain too a bit later,” Louis answered to Zayn.

"Sorry if I interrupted something Lou,” he said.

"Not at all. Sorry Kitten, got work to do, I'll talk to you later." Before Harry could say anything about calling him Kitten again, he had disappeared under the deck with Zayn.

Harry gritted his teeth, trying to get the thought off his mind. The thought there was something similar with way the anonymous women he'd had sex with, and this pirate captain made him feel. Maybe it was the adrenaline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and tell me your thoughts about this in comments or come talk to me on my
> 
> Twitter: @icuddlelixm
> 
> Tumblr: theharryandlouisthing
> 
> hope you're having a good day/night :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's got everything under control and the paradise the Bible promises to him doesn't seem too far away. Louis' got everything under control while building his own paradise on earth. Their worlds crash when Louis' forced by the situation to take Harry hostage on his ship, and suddenly nothing's under control for either of them.
> 
> Or where Louis is a pirate captain searching for a better life and Harry is a religious noble boy who's presumably dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii, sorry this took so long but first I was kind of busy and then I was kind of lazy. I really hope you will like this! Thanks to my beta littlehazspoon :)

Pirates _really_ couldn't cook, most definately not even if their life would depend on it.

Harry felt like the absolutely disgusting breakfast was God's way to show him that he'd made the wrong decision – making the temporary ceasefire with these ungodly criminals. How was he supposed to eat salted meat that tasted more like the salt than the meat?

He was holding his stomach as he directed his steps towards Niall's and Calum's cabin to ask if they knew where he could get anything to drink. In the kitchen there had beone, only a bowl of salted meat, and he didn't dare to start looking for water by himself.

At the moment Niall saw Harry he burst into laughter.

"Got ya first proper meal á la the Emerald?"

"Uh, I guess so. Why do we must eat this now when yesterday we still had fresh things?" Harry asked.

"There's only so much time fresh food stays fresh, and 's been over a week since we left the port. That's why,” he explained.

"How can you manage this?" Harry whined, his throat feeling dry.

"Food tastes better on the outdoors they say. Maybe you should eat on the deck next time." His tune was a tiny bit mocking, but he was too nice to actually say aloud whatever he was thinking.

There was a pause in their conversation after that, so Harry looked around in Niall's cabin. It was pretty much the same than his and Ashton's room, meaning there was hardly room to change your clothes without hitting your knee or elbow to the bunk. It smelt like sweat, salt and men, just like the whole ship.

Harry spotted the Bible in Niall's bedside table.

"Have you read this?" he asked, running his hands along its cover.

Seeing The Bible on a pirate ship made him feel strange – this place was way too unholy for an object like that, but on the other hand the presence of the Book made him feel safe. It reminded him that the world was an organized entity where everyone had their place and everything had its time. Even when everything was strange and scary, the world was in control as long as you kept a hold on the basic rules. God was always watching out for him, now He was just testing him like He did to Job.

"Not the whole thing, no. 'M a very slow reader, but I've read parts of it. I like the idea about someone who's always there for you, listening to your worries when no one else does. 'S nice, even though the book itself is mostly complete bullshit,” Niall answered shrugging.

Harry gritted his teeth.

"How can you say that? It's all God's words,” he said as a matter of fact. "You do not question God's words."

"Well, that's your opinion. But this text is offensive against people I care about,” Niall told.

"What, you and your pirate friends? If you get annoyed when people call killing and stealing wrong you should check your morals,” Harry snapped.

"No, mate, take it easy. It talks about slavery like it's okay and normal - at least is the start - , and I know what it's like to work utill you feel like you're going to pass out, knowing that the only reward you'll get is enough food to make sure you don't actually die so you can do it all over again the next day. And if you did something wrong, the reward was a hit to the face. Only thing that distinguished me from a slave was the term." Niall sighed. "It also has some very stupid morals, plus it tries to dictate who you are supposed to love and who not."

Harry stared at him. "What do you mean? Yes, it says you're supposed to stay faithful to your partner, but that should be needless to say,” he said.

"Yeah, that's true, but it forbids same sex relationships,” Niall explained.

"Of course it does! That's against nature, against God's word,” Harry said, lifting his hands a bit to show that he didn't want to fight. "I don't even understand why some people like so much bending the rules we are given."

"Why? Tell me, Harry, why do you like girls?" Niall asked.

"Because men like women and that’s how it's meant to be." Harry said, confused. He took a step towards the exit. Niall made an angry sound.

"The world's not black and white, Harry,” Niall said coldly. "The fact that you've been taught something, doesn't mean it's true. Why would there be some 'that's how it's meant to be's? The world isn't some evil God's playground. The God I believe in is a God of Love."

They stared each other for a minute.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship by different opinions,” Harry said after a while, not knowing any better word for their realationship status though he wouldn't exactly call Niall his fried. "If you won't interfere in what I believe in, I won't interfere in what you believe in, okay?" Harry tried to reassure him.

"No, of course it's not okay. You're the one having an offensive opinion,” Niall said.

"Well, our opinion is offensive against my religion,” Harry stated calmly.

"Get out of my room", Niall hissed.

"But - "

"Get. Out. Of. My. Room. _Now_."

Harry was extremely confused. He couldn't understand why Niall was so concerned about this. Was this personal for him? Harry frowned. He should keep his eyes open for any sings of that.

Harry glanced at the Bible on Niall's bedside table, and Niall noticed it.

"Whatever, go ahead and take it. You've ruined it from me,” he said.

Harry grabbed the book and hurried out of Niall's cabin.

Pressing the Bible against his chest he climbed up the stairs that lead to the deck. He went to the ship's stern, and opened it.

The pages were yellow and stiffened by salt, but the text was readable, so Harry browsed randomly through it, just wanting to read any of these holy words, whichever words caught his eye.

_"Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."_

Harry wanted to withstand the test. He had endured temptations since he became religious: not sleeping with nameless women anymore, giving more money to the church and using less himself. Now he should just manage through all of this shit God is throwing at him without thinking about suicide to escape, without agreeing if the pirates offered him a way to get out of this by doing them any favour. If he can do all of this, he will live at Heaven after his life on the earth ends. The situation he was now was nothing compared to Hell. He could stand endless amounts of pirates and aching muscles, as long as he gets to Heaven. It couldn't be that hard.

Harry crossed his hands to pray, but he didn't know what. _Sorry_ , he started. _Sorry for all the sins I've done, and that I will do. I am trying to be the best person I can, all the time. I'm just sorry that I can't be better._

He could feel his eyes tearing up. He tried to be grateful of everything, really, but sometimes it was just so hard.

And just then it was apparently the best time for the captain to find him.

"I didn't know kittens could cry,” he said, not sounding at all sympathetic.

Harry wiped his face, trying to look defiant.

"Do you really have to come and give me shit about this? You kidnapped me. You can get money from my father because of me, but just stay away from my personal space. Also I don't believe that you never cry, so I refuse to be embarrassed,” he confessed.

"I'm just scientifically interested, that's all,” Louis said, noticeably fighting back a grin.

"Don't play stupid. We both know I'm not really a Kitten or any kind of cat." It had sounded much more intelligent in his own head, and Louis made that clear by a loud snort.

"Guess so. Well, what are you reading, Kitten-who-is-really-not-a-kitten-and-is-called-Kitten-just-because-he-reminds-me-of-kittens?" He ended his sentence by flashing a grin.

Harry rolled his eyes. "The Bible,” he told, prepared for disrespectful answer.

"Did Niall make you read that shit?" Louis asked, but somehow it sounded just rhetorical.

"No, I wanted to, and Niall gave this for me,” Harry told.

"Is that so? Why did I hear him telling me that you gave him a lecture of who can love who?" Louis said lifting his left eyebrow.

"I didn't give him a lecture. I just said that God made a woman and a man to love each other, and we should not question that,” Harry snapped.

"Don't you like playing with fire?" Louis was leaning a bit closer.

Harry leaned away. "Fire kills."

"And also keeps us from freezing to death, you just have to know how to handle it,” Louis said, his eyes twinkling a little.

"That's still not the right metaphor. Homosexual actions can't save anyone. They only lead to Hell. And even if it didn't, there is no sense of taking the risk." Louis looked like he was closer to bursting into laughter than being mad, but he managed to keep a straight face.

"But love saves people."

"Oh and you are an expert of that surely." Harry lifted his eyebrows. "A cruel, heartless pirate captain is telling me about love. Should I take notes?"

"Heart has nothing to do with emotions, Kitten. It's just an organ that pumps blood into our system. And my heart is working just fine,” Louis told him.

"I thought you were into this metaphor thing. And I told you, don't call me Kitten,” Harry said.

Louis chuckled. "You could do something useful, Kitten. Like clean the deck."

Harry felt his muscles burn even at the idea that he'd have to bend his back in uncomfortable positions for hours, but he shrugged. He could do with some exercise.

So Louis got up, leading Harry to the closet where they kept all the cleaning supplies. When he had all the subjects needed, he hesitated a moment before joining the pirates who were already washing the deck. He could see Michael and Ed among them, people who Ashton had introduced to him.

"What?" Louis asked when Harry stood frozen for a moment too long.

"Can you like... Make sure Gemma doesn't see me like this? She'd make me stop,” Harry asked.

"She seems like a very overprotective big sister. Doesn't that get annoying? We can throw her off the ship if you'd like." Louis looked serious. Harry still was pretty sure he was joking. He hoped he was.

"No! What is wrong with you? She's just trying to take care of me the way she can, because she feels guilty that she can't do more! I love her,” Harry shouted, then pausing. "Forget it. Please. I'll just clean the deck."

Trying to avoid Louis' answer he dropped on all fours to the ground, mimicking the pirates, and started to scrub the wooden deck with a brush like it had personally offenced him.

"Mm, you should try that position in my bed sometime. That's how kittens do it – well, at least how they'll do it when they're old enough."

Harry gritted his teeth, but didn't look up. The captain was mentally ill. Harry would've given anything to get away from this ship.

Louis just laughed and left.

  
  


...

  
  


Harry was so exhausted he couldn't even sleep, so he just rolled around - or as around as he could on his tiny bed - , waiting for Ashton to fall asleep. When his breaths had sounded peaceful for a while, Harry finally let the tears escape his eyes, and roll along his cheek to the lumpy pillow.

He tried to contain the sobs so Ashton wouldn't wake up, but it was hard. Luckily the pirate seemed to sleep heavily.

He didn't even know why he was crying. Maybe it was just the pain in his body, this wasn't the first time he cried for no actual reason. Though he had reasons to cry right now, there were millions of them in fact. He was captured at a pirate ship. His life was in danger. His sister's life was in danger. Nora's life was in danger, and the girl didn't even realize it. The pirate captain was distressing him with all his rude comments. Even if he would get away from this ship alive, he wouldn't have many years to live. All he was to his loved ones was a person who eventually would die and take pieces of them with him, and not giving anything in return.

His life was fucked up. He was fucked up.

 _Heaven,_ he tried to remind himself when the tears just didn't stop, but right now, being alive, it wasn't a big enough comfort.

After a while his eyes started to feel dry, and after another while he fell asleep.

  
  


...

  
  


Dark.

It was so dark in Harry's room that he couldn't see anything, but he knew it was in his room at home.

He was lying alone in his bed, when he heard footsteps. The footsteps were everywhere, like a drumbeat, but he wasn't scared.

"You've been waiting for me, Kitten?" Louis asked, and his voice was also everywhere, stroking Harry's body and infiltrating into his ears.

There was a loud crack on his bed when Louis climbed in, and then on top of Harry. Neither of them was wearing a shirt, and Harry could feel Louis' bare chest against his. It was warm.

Harry reached up for Louis' lips hungrily, their mouths making wet sounds when they met. His arms were around Louis' waist, pressing him tight against him. He wanted more. His body was _aching_ for more, so much that it actually hurt.

Louis traced his fingertips along Harry's neck, chest, stomach, down, down, down... Until he stopped.

The pressure on top of him disappeared when Louis easily broke out of his grasp. Harry could see his figure leaving through the door, so he got up, and started following him. He wanted - he _needed_ Louis back into his arms. Louis started running, so he started too.

They ran down the stairs, and through the empty rooms of Harry's villa, Harry chase Louis out of the house, to his garden, and then off the gates into the town. Faster, faster, faster. The town was empty of people, and it was dark but there were no stars in the black sky. Finally Harry caught Louis, grabbing his shoulders with both hands, wanting to make sure he couldn't run away again.

Louis turned around, but he wasn't the bearded and muscular pirate captain Harry knew, but a little, skinny boy whose big blue eyes were shining. His hair was short and skin baby-perfect. He was smiling big.

"Thanks for the waffles, Emerald-eyes,” the boy said.

  
  


...

  
  


_Déja vu. It was a déja vu,_ was the first thing Harry thought as he woke up.

Not the (almost) sex, of course, that was a part he pushed into a box in the back of his mind, where he kept all those thoughts that _didn't exist_. He wasn't so much hiding them from other people, but from himself.

The boy talking about waffles felt like déja vu, even though he couldn't remember it really happening. But because he had no idea where the déja vu -experience came from, he decided it must be one of those times you have a dream that you are sure you saw last Monday, but in reality you know you saw a different dream last Monday.

Shrugging off the boy and waffles, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up, realizing he had a boner. He sank his face to his palms. Why was this happening to him?

One, two, three. Deep breath. It doesn't exist, he doesn't need to touch it, he thought, just like he had learned.

"Morning,” Ashton said. "Isn't it fabulous to wake up at six?"

Harry felt like saying fuck you, so he did, trying so hard to concentrate on not concentrating to his boner, that he forgot he wasn't supposed to swear either.

"I thought you had some religious problems against that. I have some sexuality problems against that,” Ashton said, making Harry push his head further to his palms. Did everybody know about his little outburst? And more importantly, were there any people on this ship among him, Gemma and maybe Nora whose minds weren't poisoned by these heathen things?

"Don't play stupid, the fact that you're a pirate is more than enough for me. Can we really just forget about that?" he asked quietly.

"Let's see. If you won't bring it up again, I can think about it,” Ashton answered.

"Okay,” he said, because he realized that if his life was important for him he should not make these pirates any more angry than they already were. He just hoped God would understand why it was more necessary for him to keep himself, Gemma and Nora as safe as he could than to follow His orders. After all, he didn't change his beliefs, just promised to stay quiet about them for a little while.

Ashton stared him for a minute. "Should we go grab something to eat?" he then asked.

"If you're talking about that disgusting salty meat, I'd rather not, but considering how hungry I am I think I can't afford these 'rathers’. Let me just change first."

Harry got dressed, managing to keep his unfortunately existing but fortunately softening boner hidden. He got completely rid of it while eating salt meat, leaving him with unsatisfied blue balls.

...

That day Harry and Gemma were commanded to wash the dishes after not so culinary potato soup dinner, so they got some time alone together.

"Luke told me we are landing tomorrow,” Harry told her as he was fighting with a very tightly sitting lump of food.

"Yeah I heard about that. Do you think they'll let us exit the ship?" Gemma wondered.

"I have no idea,” Harry said. "Is there some escape plans I should know about?"

"Nora was the one making them in the first place, and now she has fallen hard for this pirate life. I don't want to risk my life by a failed escape attempt,” Gemma said sighing.

"More like fallen hard for Niall,” Harry chuckled.

"She won't admit it and got mad when I asked,” Gemma told, and they giggled together, a bit tiredly. They both knew it was no good that Nora seemed to like Niall, but it was easier to ignore when everything else was hard to deal with too.

  
  


...

  
  


"Do you wanna join me, Mike, Cal, Luke and Nora when we're going out?" Niall asked, confirming to Harry that they did have a permission to exit this bloody ship. "The captain said that we can't leave you alone there. Do you drink by the way? Like, alcohol."

"No, I don't mind." Harry was pretty sure it wouldn't matter if he minded. "And I do use alcohol, I just don't get drunk. It's possible to have fun without getting wasted, you know", Harry said smiling slightly. His muscles were hurting a bit more than usual, and his headache wasn't that nice either, but he knew that if he just made himself go out the alcohol would relaxe his muscles a bit. The next morning was a whole different story. He didn't want to think about it now.

"If you say so," Niall sounded happy, but not convinced.

"Can Gemma come along?" Harry asked.

"Sure, if she wants to, but I heard she's doing something with Ash,” Niall told him.

"What?!" Harry almost shouted. "I gotta find her. Sorry."

He found Gemma chatting with Nora in their room.

"Are you going somewhere alone with a male pirate?" Harry asked her as he stormed in. "Niall said you're going out with Ashton."

"Look who's overprotective now,” Nora mumbled under her breath. Harry ignored her.

"Yes, and I was hoping you'd come along with us,” Gemma said.

"Can't, promised to go with Niall and some others. You come with us?” he asked.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"Going to some tavern,” he told.

"I don't drink, you know that. You shouldn't either,” Gemma reminded.

"Yeah yeah,” Harry said, shrugging it off. "Stay on the ship then?" Gemma rolled her eyes.

"I'm not the one needing protection. They don't let me go by myself, and I know Ashton well enough to believe he won't rape me."

Harry closed his eyes for a second. All of that was true. "Okay. But if something happens to you, I'll beat him up."

"Not if I do it first,” Gemma answered, grinning. "I'm still the older sibling."

...

After the while that Nora spent to get her hair into an elaborate hairdo that Harry was pretty sure was impossible to make and probably even more impossible to take off, Harry got off the ship for first time in eleven days.

They didn't go very far from the porch, just to a tavern which name was Portuguise. Niall had told him he could speak Spanish, and Portuquese sounding very alike it to Harry, he asked if Niall knew what the name of the tavern meant. Niall told him it was rottening something, and that alone made him grimace in disgust. He suspected he wouldn't even want to hear what the rottening subject was.

They ordered a big glass of beer each and started chattering about meaningless stuff. In the middle of Nora's story about her super awkward first kiss about forty years old man came to their table, putting a hand to Niall's shoulder.

"Long time not to see you, lads", the man said.

"Al! Good to see ya too. Lou's keeped us busy", Niall answered, grinning. "Got something for us?"

"Sure", Al said, presenting him with some powder wrapped into a piece of paper. Harry eyed suspiciously the process of Niall buying the thing and rolling it into a joint.

Niall lighted it and after inhaling it once he offered it to Michael on his left. When Harry's turn came, he just stared at it.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Mary J", Niall answered happily. "Marijuona, I mean."

"I'm not taking it. Nora's not either", he said, turning to look at the girl in his left. Nora lifted her narrow eyebrow.

"Relax, H", she said, snaching the joint from him. "You only live once. What's the point of it if your whole life is getting ready for tomorrow. After all, moments are all we get", she said, inhaling the smoke and handing it to Calum. Niall whistled.

"That was wise", he said, bumping Nora's shoulder with his fist. She looked pleased.

Harry wanted to remind them about heaven, that they _did not_ only live once, that this life was indeed getting ready for tomorrow. But he didn't, he stayed quiet untill Niall ordered another round of been, and before Harry could say no, there was another glass in front of him. He swore this would be his last.

He swore again after his third glass of beer. After the fourth, he forgot to swear.

The beer must've been stronger than Harry thought - or maybe it was the smoke filling the air that he had to breathe. His head felt dizzy. Dizzy, and light, like every time he got drunk. He liked it. The pain was easier to bear.

It was hard to concentrate on Niall's story about this horse whose shoes he had to chance when it pooped on his leg and then there was this pretty, blonde and green eyed maid involved, who sounded too much like Nora to be actually real. He gestured a lot with his hands.

When the sun had started to set and it was getting dark outside someone started singing in portuguise. Other person started to play flute, and in a short while the pub was filled with rambunctious music.

Niall hopped up from his chair and climbed to the table, starting to clap along and dance like only an irishman would. He offered his hand to Nora and pulled her up with him, and she joined him, starting to dance in her own style, giggling to every move she did.

Harry got up too, feeling confused only for a second, but then his body took the lead. After all, he had danced in crowdy taverns way more times than listened a service of wordship.

Some people had started some kind of line dance in the middle of the tavern, and he joined between two girls he thought looked beautiful. The steps were easy to learn, and after falling on top of the laughing girls few times he catched on and clapped, spinned and threw his leg in the air at the right times.

He was chatting with the red haired girl on his left - or actually they were waving their hands trying to get the other one to understand - when he heard people start shouting something in Portuguese.

He recognized the word 'Calder', so he turned to look as everyone were clapping and thumping their feet. He saw Louis' figure in the door frame, dark, because of the almost full moon behind him.

Louis took a step in, and Harry could see him properly now. He looked like a sculpture, and suddenly Harry felt his stomach twitch.

The alhohol and nameless sex had been a getaway from everything untill he was offered something else, a heaven to look forward to. But now, suddenly as he was staring at the pirate captain who had kidnapped him, he felt like he needed this getaway again. His body had been ignored for too long in the sake of his mind, and he _knew_ it was sin, something his religion banned, something even the society banned, but somewhwere inside him was a crave for that, for something new. He didn't even know if it was his body or mind talking anymore, somehow he felt like he was floating.

Louis walked towards him, looking confident as always. His face was clean shaven apart from a little moustache above his upper lip. His skin was golden, he looked like one of the greek heroes his nanny had read him about when he was little, and Harry realized he couldn't actually be more than few years older than him.

Harry's dream flashed back in his head, and the more he tried to push the pictures away, the more clearly he could see them and the more aroused he got. His little box had a crack in it, and he was too drunk to try to fix it.

"There are so many beautiful ladies tonight,” Louis stated loudly, so Harry and other people around him heard it. The Redhead giggled.

"Why're you laughing?" Harry snapped at her. "You're dancing with me."

"Oh, but who'd choose you over me, Kitten?" Louis whispered. He had gotten closer than Harry had realized.

Redhead giggled again. Harry was pretty sure she would be like that in bed too, giggling to everything and anything, being submissive and taking whatever he'd want to give her, giving happyly whatever he'd take. The thought made him grimace. He wanted to be manhandled, to hand the control for someone else for even one night.

"You say he Kitten?" Redhead asked in very bad, accented English, her tone flirting. Louis winked and flashed her a smile.

"I'm pretty sure I do,” he answered cocking his head to the side.

"Why?" the girl asked.

"He likes to scratch my back when I fuck him,” Louis explained Harry wasn't sure if it was meant to the girl or him, but he could feel his face getting flushed. "And he plays with a ball of wool afterwards."

Redhead looked somewhere between disgusted and turned on.

"That's _not_ true! We've never – I've never – fuck, I like _girls_ – _every_ guy likes girls, you know, anything else is against nature – wrong – shit!" Harry rambled, just repeating the phrase that he always did, until Louis pinched his nipple between two fingers. It hurt a little, but he had very high pain threshold, and there was pleasure in it. Maybe more pleasure than pain.

"Baby, we've already fallen, why wouldn't we take full delectation from the things it gave to us? We can apologize to God afterwards", Louis murmured into his ear, nibbing at his earlobe.

And right then, in his drunk mind, it made sense. He slowly nodded his head, and he could feel Louis grin widen against the sensitive skin behind his ear before Louis pulled back.

The pirate captain leaned towards the girl, kissing her on the lips. She made a weird noise, probably some kind of moan, but before she could start kissing back, he broke the kiss.

"Sorry, love,” he murmured, and turned around, letting his knuckles trade down Harry's arm and making the younger boy shiver before walking away. Harry followed him, body full of alcohol and hormones. He could apologize later.

At the door, he almost stumbled over his own feet, and he would've fallen to the ground if Louis hadn't caught him, and easily lift him to his arms.

"You shouldn't carry me,” Harry protested, though he wasn't sure if he really meant it.

"Yeah, sure. You'll most definitely kill yourself if I let you walk,” Louis snorted.

It was warmer outside than inside; a thing he loved about summer. He could hear the orchestra of grasshoppers play their endless song, the now distant music mixing into it. It was nice. Harry liked Portugal.

The world was spinning around. Harry was flying. He grabbed Louis' coat to stay still, but it felt very nice so he started stroking it.

The coat was made of blue velvet, so soft if you stroked it to the clockwise, but rough to the counterclockwise. _Maybe it was_ _like Louis_ , he thought. If you treated him right, he was loyal and kind like his crew's words had proven, but if you treated him wrong, he was cruel and mean. Harry wasn't sure if he was treating Louis right.

"Trust me, Kitten, you'll be treating me right the moment we reach my cabin,” Louis breathed. Harry blushed. He hadn't noticed he'd said it all aloud.

He felt Louis going up the stairs that lead to the ship. A blue-green bird passed them close, landing on the ship's rail. It eyed them, and Harry was sure it looked interested.

"You're so strong,” Harry sighed in drunken awe. Louis laughed, but didn't answer. Louis laughed a lot. Harry found that he kind of liked the sound of it. It was like bells on a wind - or actually not. It was more unique, he had never heard something like that before. He'd need more time to find the right metaphor.

Louis walked in a straight surface for a moment, and then went down stairs. He opened a door, and Harry found himself lying on the bed.

"Do you wanna find out just how strong I am?" Louis asked huskily. His voice wasn't high like it usually was. Now it sounded low, rough and turned on and it sent Harry tingling all over.

There was still the voice inside his head screaming for him to stop, to run, but he forced it silent, just a quiet throb in the back of his mind. He needed this, or he'd become crazy.

"Please,” Harry answered, curling his fingers into Louis' belt loops and pulling him closer.

Harry had kissed a lot of women in his life, and he'd thought it couldn't be that much different with a man. He was wrong.

When he lifted his face so he could reach Louis' lips with his own, the fist thing he felt was Louis' rough moustache scratchind his soft lips, and then Louis' hands were on his hair, pulling Harry's head by them till it was at the ankle he preferred best. Harry moaned into his mouth, when Louis teeth found his lower lip, nibbling at it like he couldn't get enough of his pink lips.

Louis' weight on top of him wasn't exactly unfamiliar, it was actually conforting, keeping him in place. The shape of his body instead was odd - no breasts pushing against his chest, keeping a small distance between them. He got so close to Louis that it was owerhelming. There was a bulge in a place he wasn't used to, thought. It was pressing against his own erection, and it was good, much better that he ever could've imagined.

He grabbed Louis' bum and pushed him down to press their hips together, whimpering when there was so much friction. Louis grabbed his hands and pushed them over his head.

"No touching without my permission,” Louis ordered.

Harry obeyed, spreading his legs slightly to make his bulge repeatedly rub against Louis'.

By then Harry's body had completely silenced his mind, which wasn't such a big surprise considering that even masturbating had been a sin that he felt quilty for a _year_ , not to mention premarital sex.

"Harder – please,” he begged, then adding 'captain' for reason that was unknown for even himself.

"Look at you Kitten, think what your family would say if they saw you now,” he said with a smirk. Harry tried to get them out of his mind, the Bible off of his mind, just everything out. This was just pleasure. He could apologize later.

Harry rutted against Louis who was meeting his thrusts, moving in synch with Harry's uncontrolled hips. Louis let go of his hands, starting to button his shirt open. Harry felt electricity run throught his veins when the captain brushed his thumb against his plain nipple.

"Touch me - more - ah - _captain it's so good_ ", Harry whispered, his head rolling back in pleasure, exposing his neck to Louis.

"You like to call me captain, don't you Kitten?" Louis said, rubbing Harry's nipple with his right hand, while the other was creeping down towards Harry's waistline. He pressed his lips down against Harry's pale neck, licking along his neck vein. Harry opened his mouth, panting, when Louis sucked into his neck with a bit more teeth than nececcary. It was good, thought.

Before Louis could slide his hand in Harry's pants to touch him, Harry felt the hot pleasure starting to build up in his hips. He tried to control it, wanting for this to last longer, to last forever, but it was impossible.

"I …". He couldn't finish his sentence before he was coming all over his pants, pressing forcefully against Louis. A tear escaped his eye, just from how good it felt.

"Naughty Kitten, did I give you a permission to come?" Louis asked, still thrusting against Harry's oversensitive dick. Harry couldn't do anything but lay under him, shaking in his post-orgasm state.

"N-no, you didn't captain, I'm s-so sorry,” Harry panted, pressing his eyes closed.

The captain gave him a tug of his hair for answer, fastening the rhytme of his experienced hips. His breaths turned into low grunts, and they were all Harry could hear.

"Oh – fuck!" Louis moaned, shaking as he finally came into his pants too.

Harry felt good, so good that he couldn't keep his eyes open, and even though he tried to stay awake he fell asleep before he even felt Louis roll off on top of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and tell me your thoughts about this in comments or come talk to me on my
> 
> Twitter: @icuddlelixm
> 
> Tumblr: theharryandlouisthing
> 
> hope you're having a good day/night :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is sick, The Bible promises him a life on Paradise after he dies. But then Louis Calder, infamous pirate captain kidnaps him by accident and makes him question everything he believed about good and bad. He just doesn't know if he has enough time to get the small box in the back of his head sorted before it's too late. The pirate captain might has a solution for that too, but does it mean he has to step out of the light way, to the dark side he has always tried to avoid the best he can?
> 
> And with Louis' own problems, does he even have time to save Harry?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii, sorry this took so long, but now it's there :)
> 
> Thanks to my amazing betas littlehazspoon and justafeeling, this would be so much worse without you!
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading this :)
> 
> (I don't own one direction or most of the characters in this fic)

"Had a fun night I see."

A girl's voice woke Harry up. He felt sick, his body aching from head toe and his brain felt near exploding. He probably couldn't move even if he dared.

"Eleanor! I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow," Louis' sleepy voice answered. It was weird hearing the captain sound like that, almost vulnerable.

"They changed the time of the meeting, because someone had apparently discovered it. So it's today. Would you have done something differently if you knew I was going to see this though?" The girl, Eleanor, didn't exactly sound angry. In fact, she sounded amused.

"Dunno. I think not – this rich kid – the only son of the Duke of Cheshire – was very drunk and he was begging me to fuck him. But get this; he thinks gay sex is a one-way ticket to Hell or something. Thought it'd be funny." They were both laughing.

"You're so evil," Eleanor giggled.

"Like you wouldn’t have taken the chance yourself," Louis stated.

"We're not to talk about me here.” Her light tone changed into something more serious. "Have you found them?" she asked, lowering her voice.

"I've found two more in England, I think," Louis replied quietly. If Harry didn't know any better, he'd say the captain sounded ashamed. But really, could he say he knew any better?

"You still haven't found the last four?" The girl's voice  quickly became angry , maybe even a bit scared.

"Do you know how much effort I’m putting into this, El? I've worked so fucking much, and it’s all just for  _us_ . I've found all the nine others! You have done nothing; you just sit here waiting for my reports!" Louis retorted.

"Where the hell is this coming from? I'm probably doing way more work than you. It's not easy working with Char. He was born hundreds of years before me and we have  _nothing_ in common. Not to mention, he thinks everyone's planning something against him and he believes he's always right! I hate him! Fucking _hate_ him!" the girl sounded near her breaking point. Harry heard Louis sigh lowly.

"I've missed you love," Louis said after a moment. "Let's not turn this into a fight."

Harry felt Louis change his position on the other side of the bed, Eleanor sitting down next to him.

"Fuck!" Eleanor said suddenly.

"What?" Louis' voice sounded tensed.

"Your little boy toy is awake," she said. Harry grimaced at the term, and suddenly it hit him how big he had fucked up. He'd had an orgasm with someone before marriage. Had an orgasm because of a  _man_ . He wasn't exactly a virgin, quite far from it really, but since he had become religious he had changed, stopped sleeping around. Now though, now it was all ruined.  _He_ was ruined, and God had every right not to let him into Heaven. A one-way ticket to Hell, just like Louis had said.

"You idiot! What, were you thinking that you could eavesdrop and find out some secret information to give to your father? Out! Go to your room to pray or something. Just leave," Louis ordered loudly.

Harry opened his eyes, squinting in the bright candle light. Before he could do anything, Eleanor – who turned out to be a brown haired and narrow faced girl, dressed in pants that were tighter than what men normally wore and a white shirt – grabbed him and dragged him out of the room. Harry had really had enough of this ship. Women weren't supposed to dress in such clothes that showed every small curve of their body!

After that, she took Louis' hand, and giving Harry a deathly glare, they left the room, Louis locking it behind him.

Harry wanted to sink to the floor and lie there, never get up, but he somehow managed to get himself to his and Ashton's room, sinking down on his bed instead.

How the hell did this happen to him? He knew he shouldn't drink, not last night, not ever. Why had he done this? He could've died due to the amount of alcohol he drank. What if he had woken up in damnation? Then there wouldn't have been a way to make things better. He was just so stupid, stupid,  _stupid._

With each 'stupid' he hit his forehead on his hands, and the touch was enough to make him dizzy from pain. A bad hangover added to his muscle sickness would've been more than enough, but he just couldn't get away from the guilt.

_Our Father, which art in Heaven,_

_hallowed be thy name..._ he started. Would God ever forgive him for this?

After he got to the Amen, he started it again, in Latin, because he wasn't sure which one would work better.

_Pater noster, qui es in caelis,_

_sanctificetur nomen tuum..._

Harry was an Anglican like his family, but he knew few Catholic priests and he thought that as long as you were serving the Lord, it really didn't matter which language you liked to pray in.

But then again, if you could have different views of some things, it had to mean Christianity was stretchy. But how far would it stretch?

He had to stop there, before he would let himself even think about it. The box had to stay in order. Christianity was a packaged deal; he couldn't just question one thing because then he'd have to question everything. And he didn't have time for questioning.

No, he didn't  _need_ to question anything. Everything was in the Bible, and if he didn't understand something, the priests would explain it to him. Yes.

 

...

 

The last rays of sunlight filtered through the olive trees that grew in straight lines, painting the two pirates’ face orange.

A silent rustle from one of the trees made them freeze for a second. Louis turned to see if the source of the noise was a danger to them.

"It was just a bird, Lou," Zayn stated as the hawk stared at them with golden eyes. "You're over alert."

"You can't ever be  _too_ alert," the pirate captain answered with a little snort, and just as if trying to prove his words, they heard a loud thumping noise from a distance. It sounded as if there were a lot of people running.

" _Os piratas estão aqui!_ " they heard someone shout, and Louis' Spanish was good enough for him to understand what the Portuguese soldiers were saying. He shot a grin to Zayn who grinned back despite having to admit that he had been wrong.

" _I told_ you I saw an outsider at the meeting," Louis said as the soldiers surrounded them. He and Zayn pressed their backs together, staying still due to their many years of perfected harmony.

"Surrender, pirates!" a pretty young boy shouted. Louis had seen him at the meeting, and he couldn’t help but snort.

"And why do you think we will do what you want?" Zayn asked, amused.

The boy said something in Portuguese to the soldiers, who answered to him, and then he turned back to the pirates.

"They won’t hurt you if you surrender," he said just as one of the soldiers threw him a bag of money and let him out of the circle. The boy ran away, making Louis cringe with disgust. Human nature was so stupid; decent people turned into repugnant worms when they could get money out of it.

"So if we surrendered they wouldn't hurt us?! Nice try, boy!" Louis shouted at the boy's back.

But on the other hand, the boy might have a family to feed, hungry little siblings, and really, was Louis any better than him?

Louis and Zayn took one step forward in synch as the soldiers approached them with their swords extended.

Adrenaline filled Louis’ body, and he turned his body quickly to the side, gathering strength with the rotation so that the kick hit the soldier in front of him hard, Zayn doing the same to the soldier facing him.

The soldier's nose and one of his front teeth broke, making the man scream in surprise, his cry quickly turning into one of pain. Louis watched, pleased with his work, but took a second too long. An arrow whizzed past him. He turned to face the rest of the soldiers quickly to see where it had come from only to find that the fight had paused. 

"Payne," he heard one of the soldiers whisper. At first, Louis thought he had said 'pain', but when the soldiers began to point somewhere behind Louis and shout  _“Liam Payne é aqui!_ " Louis turned to look at the man whose name sounded of British origin.

This Liam Payne turned out to be a tanned, brown haired, non-Portuguese looking man. His upper body was bare except for two metallic shoulder pads that were bound to him with two leather bands that crossed his chest.

The soldiers were confused, chatting fast in Portuguese, so Louis hit the nearest on his temple, then proceeded to kick him in the crotch so that he fell to his knees. Louis snorted. These soldiers were definitely one of the most untalented he had ever had the displeasure of encountering in his entire life.

But there were twelve of them left, against only him and Zayn. He didn't even know which side this Liam guy was on.

Deciding he should take the chance, Louis reached to grab a sword from the man in front of him, but as he did, another soldier grabbed the front of his coat. Louis let him lean closer and then pushed him over his hips by his own force. He grinned wide. People who had never studied Japanese martial arts were just so  _stupid_ ; they literally threw themselves to the ground.

Shooting a quick look at Zayn, Louis deduced that the other male was doing just fine by himself. He stepped over the soldier on the ground and started running in the direction of the city but unfortunately, also in the direction of Liam Payne.

He tried to pass the male from a distance, but Liam was so  _fast_ and  _strong_ that Louis found himself pressed against a tree with the man holding him firmly in place.

The thing was, it was kind of sexy. The man wasn't exactly Louis' type – he preferred narrow people with hair that he could hold onto, and he wasn't a fan of brown eyes – but the male's skin was hot from the sun and his abs were perfectly visible. He would've liked to find out how long it would take this broad shouldered man to fall apart under him, Louis' cock buried deep in his ass, if his brown eyes would look as innocent when he was fucked than when he was trying to threaten Louis' life. So Louis kept still, wanting to find out if his life was actually on the line before he made the boy suffer.

"You're a pirate, eh? Stealing from the innocent to live in luxury yourself? Raping people who act like they're begging for it? Not caring about anything but gold and your own precious life?" the man said, and Louis wasn't sure about the tone of his words.

The thing was, that could've been the type of thing he appreciated or the type of thing he hated. Either way, Louis' life was dependant on his answer. If he didn't answer correctly, the man would attack.

But Louis was also a man of principle, and he knew it was better to fight for your own values than to get nice treatment by being someone you're not.

Well, there was a time for that, too, but it wasn’t now.

"A pirate, yeah. Stealing from the people who have much, to keep the people I care about alive. Never raping, but people do beg for me sometimes." Louis could see last night clearly in front of his eyes, Harry's pink lips moving as he said his name. He shook the picture off, concentrating on Liam. "And yes, my life is precious but what else is new?"

Louis wasn't holding his breath or anything, he would probably win Liam at a fair  \-  or not so fair  \-  fight, but he did feel relieved when Liam released him.

"Liam Payne. They call me a criminal here but I would prefer the term 'Robin Hood II' or something 'cause that's how I label myself," he said, offering his hand.

"Louis Calder, a pirate that needs to get away from here as fast as possible," he answered, taking Liam's hand and shaking it quickly. Recognition flashed on Liam's face as he heard the name, but he looked slightly confused.

"Ugh. Don't fucking tell me that you thought I had a grey beard too? That is a damn mean stereotype of pirates, you know."

Liam just gave him a wide grin, responding with a "sorry" even though he didn't look it at all.

Louis took the chance to shoot a glance in Zayn's direction, and when he saw the other male fighting against four men at once, he immediately started running back towards him. From behind him, he heard Liam whistle. Although he knew his ass looked good when he ran, Louis really thought it wasn't the best time for that. 

Suddenly though, a hawk flew from the branches of an olive tree to one of the soldiers’ faces, blinding him and giving Zayn an opportunity to exit the circle and start running towards Louis. Louis stopped thinking what a great coincidence it was when he saw the hawk flying to sit on the metallic pad on Liam's shoulder.

As one of the soldiers tried to shoot him, Louis threw himself to the ground with an  _ukemi_ , quickly rolling behind a tree.

"I know the town well," Liam said. "I could help you distract the soldiers to get you back to your ship."

"Thanks," Louis said. "That'd be great mate."

"Follow me."

The three of them started running, Liam leading them towards the residential area of the town.

"Are you sure we can trust this man?" Zayn asked Louis as he got close to him.

"You can never be sure," Louis answered.

Zayn rolled his eyes. "Always so reassuring, you are.”

"Just realistic."

 

They ran into a side alley that smelt like shit and where people were selling jewellery Louis could bet his life was fake, then into a narrow street that required them having to jump over a bin. Liam led them through the town so fast that Louis and Zayn wouldn’t have been able to remember how to get back even if they had wanted to.

The sound of the soldiers’ footsteps could still be heard echoing behind them, though. In fact, it sounded as if they had gotten some reinforcements because from the sounds of it, there were now probably thirty men chasing after them.

Suddenly, Liam turned to the left and went through an open door of someone's house. They followed him, hesitating just for a minute, because they found it a bit weird to corner themselves in a dead end. They really hoped Liam had a plan.

Someone screamed when they made their way through the house and up the stairs. They ran towards a door. Liam wrenched it open to reveal a naked girl, about sixteen years old. She was holding a dress which she quickly pressed against her chest to cover her body. The following scream was enough to freeze Louis into place, his ears ringing.

"Louis, get your ass over here. You can find underage girls somewhere else if that's what you’re into now," Zayn shouted from where he stood beside a window. Louis could hear the manly shouts of the soldiers from downstairs. He should be fast.

"I recommend you put that dress on right now, darling, because in a few seconds there will be thirty other men that are  _way_ more interested in your tits than I am right now," he told the girl as he joined Zayn and Liam at the windowsill. He reached up to the edge of the roof, and with Zayn's help, pulled himself up.

"Such a great view," Louis commented when he got back to his feet. "We don't have flat roofs in England. Look, I can even see our ship from here." He pointed in the direction of an orange farm. The Emerald could be seen behind a line of trees.

"Then that's the direction we’re heading in," Liam said, walking to the end of the roof and jumping. Louis followed him.

Zayn, who was just behind him and Liam, couldn’t help but get distracted by the way Liam's back muscles were moving when he ran. So it was no surprise when he tripped over a tile  and he fell to the roof, almost rolling down of the edge.

He got a hold of Zayn's hand, pulling him back up. There was an awkward moment where they were both just standing still, holding each other’s hands.

Louis' shout snapped them back to reality, "C'mon guys, there's plenty of time for that later. We need to get the ship sailing again, and I don't think these soldiers stopped for some scones downstairs."

Liam gave Zayn a cheeky wink, but Zayn just pushed him off.

"You know, I usually don't prefer being pushed around by strange men," Liam said.

"Well then, we've got a problem here because I prefer being the one who does the pushing," Zayn answered.

"Problems are meant to be solved," Liam answered as he started running again. “That’s why they’re problems.”

By the time they reached the port near the ship, they were all panting. Louis couldn’t help but note that he seemed to be a little less exhausted than the others. That was all thanks to Eleanor, though. 

Eleanor. She had left him right after the meeting, telling him to meet her in Spain. That was okay, he had been planning to visit there anyways, but she had only given him a quick kiss to the lips, not even trying to be a good girlfriend and give him a blowjob or something.

She couldn't possibly be mad about the Harry thing. They slept around with other people all the time, and he had explained everything to her.

Well, except for one thing. But that wasn't important, not anymore. Harry had just turned him on by being so scared of everything that wasn't permitted in the Bible, and seeing him struggle with those stupid questions amused Louis. And Harry was fit, there was no denying that. Louis enjoyed sex with fit people.

Yeah. Eleanor was probably just tired. He was too, so he couldn't blame her.

Zayn tapped Louis' shoulder, and he turned around fast, giving his full attention to Zayn.

"Liam asked if he could come along with us. There's a bounty over his head, and he said he'll get caught sooner or later. He helped us, it would only be fair to help him out now," Zayn said. Louis shot a glare at Liam.

"Make sure you keep quiet at nights, or I promise I will throw you both overboard," he answered. Zayn rolled his eyes.

"Thanks a lot, Tommo."

"Shut up. Now, let's get back to the ship before we end up into gallows."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and tell me your thoughts about this in comments or come talk to me on my
> 
> Twitter: @icuddlelixm
> 
> Tumblr: theharryandlouisthing
> 
> hope you're having a good day/night :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I changed the name from Forever to The Emerald because I didn't like the previous one, and I hope it doesn't confuse anyone. :)
> 
> There actually starts happening something in this chapter, and I reaaaally hope you'll like it :)
> 
> Also a huge thank you to my amazing beta littlehazspoon. This would be a lot worse without you.
> 
> Happy reading!

 

Harry noticed the new bloke when he was getting breakfast. The brown haired male was chatting away with Zayn in the crew's dining room, and that alone made Harry disapprove of him.

Yes, Niall was Zayn's friend too, but he was okay. Besides, Harry only tolerated Niall. He knew if he heard that Niall had died, he'd feel nothing. Hell, if he heard that the entire fucking crew of the Emerald had passed away, he'd be  _happy_ . Well, not really, because as a Christian he wasn’t supposed to wish death upon anyone. The point is, he didn't  _care._

“This food won't stay in me for long so don't say I didn't warn you,” the guy talking to Zayn said, looking a bit greenish.

“Lou had this thing when we first went out to sea too. It'll only last a few days,” Zayn murmured back, apparently not realizing that Harry was in the room with them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone around telling Captain Calder's weaknesses. Harry was surprised that he had told them to anyone in the first place, really.

“A few days?” the man groaned. “I'm gonna die, I swear.”

Zayn chuckled softly. Was this really the pirate Harry had seen before?

“I thought you'd be a bit more hardcore,” Zayn remarked to the other lad.

“Well, it's pretty hard to be hardcore when my stomach is practising backflips and the ground won't fucking stay still.” 

Zayn's eyes left the man, wandering around the room. Unsurprisingly, they landed on Harry.

“The fuck are you doing here, Kitten?” he asked. 

Harry didn't know why, but it annoyed him even more when it was Zayn calling him that, not Louis. Maybe it was the fact that Louis was higher up than him and so there was just no getting around it, but he had been hoping that the others would accept him. Not as a friend, of course, but as someone who they should pay respect to, someone who'd be equal to them if it weren’t for him being their prisoner. Apparently, that wasn't the case for Zayn.

"I'm getting breakfast, and I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to do that so you can just leave me be. It’s not like I can really do anything with the information that Louis has been seasick before anyways."

“Who is he?” the brown haired man, whose chest was bare and exposed, inquired. If someone were to ask Harry's opinion, he would say that the guy needed to put on a shirt, but it's not like anyone ever asked what he thought around here.

“Lou's pet. I don't even know why he keeps him here. Just ignore him, Liam,” Zayn dismissed. 

At that, Harry got the sudden urge to do  _something_ to those perfect cheekbones and almond shaped hazel eyes. He wanted to see those features broken and the fact he thought that made him feel terrible. He was only used to physical pain, not this fiery emotional turmoil.

“I'm not a pet, Malik. I'm a prisoner, a _valuable_ prisoner, and you know that. You don't need to treat me like I'm some kind of amusing circus animal.”

Something, possibly pity, flashed in Liam's eyes. Harry hated pity. But right now, that was probably the best he could get

“I'm Liam Payne. Born in England but I have been in Portugal for a long time. And this is Robin,” he said, gesturing towards the bird that was resting on his shoulder. Harry realized that the hawk he had thought was a decoration was actually real. It was scary. Scary, but kind of beautiful in a way too. “Like Robin Hood, you know.”

He knew. Harry had loved that book as a child. His nanny used to read it to him, but now, he knew it wasn't good literature. It wasn't holy like the things he was supposed to read. So he kept quiet.

“Harry Styles,” he introduced.

“I think you should leave,” Zayn interjected coldly. 

Harry didn't find a good enough reason within himself not to obey, so he left the dining cabin, still hungry.

 

When he stepped out on deck, he immediately felt the salty blow of the wind in his face. It was almost weird how he had gotten used to it in such a short time, but it was one thing he actually liked about the ship. He closed his eyes for a minute, breathing the salty fresh air.

His breathing session was interrupted when Niall shouted his name from where he was standing with his hands around the steering wheel. A tiny voice inside his head whispered  _liar_ as it reminded him of his earlier claim about not caring if Niall died, but he silenced it. He really wouldn't. Instead, he walked over to him, and then turned to look out into the horizon, towards where the Emerald was sailing. It must've felt...so  _great_ to have something as big as a ship under your control. He shared the thought with Niall.

“He’s not under my control. The sea is in control of everything. It takes lives and saves them, gives freedom and steals it. These deep waters have way more power than what people who live on land can even imagine. I feel so little when 'm looking out at it, but I love that feeling. I'm just a tiny part of a huge system called nature. I'm on my own and I'm _free_.”

Hearing Niall talk about the sea like Harry talked about God made Harry tense. People could have such similar but different views in this world. Harry liked the idea of God keeping an eye out for him, telling him what to do so that he didn't have to make those decisions himself. It felt easy to live by strict rules, and it was hard for him to try and understand Niall's version of the world. It didn't make any sense to him.

“Isn't it a she?” he asked as he realized that Niall had used weird pronouns to describe the ship.

“Wasn't my decision. I know, it's strange,” Niall answered, shrugging.

“Whose-”  
“Do you wanna try?” Niall interrupted. “Holding the wheel? I mean, there's nothing but water around so you couldn't really do anything terribly dangerous.”

Guide the ship? Niall was truly offering him a chance to try that. And what was he really even offering? The feeling of freedom? The feeling of control?

He probably should've said no. Something in the Bible was certainly against this, especially when Niall had just described holding the wheel as some kind of religious but not Christian experience. Harry still grabbed the wheel anyway as Niall let go of it, clutching it tightly between his fists.

Just as he did that, he felt someone sneak their arms around his waist. It couldn't be Niall, because he was standing right next to him, and it was done slowly, deliberately, like the whole idea of the movement was to feel his skin, different from if it had been his sister or Nora. He had a bad feeling on who it was.

“Why're you letting Kitten touch the wheel, Ni?” Louis asked, confirming Harry’s suspicion. He pressed his lips against Harry's ear. Harry could feel his warm breath hit his skin _._

_Tooclosetooclosetooclose._ Hadn't he ever heard of personal space?

“You don't like it, do you Kitten?” Louis murmured into his ear. “Feeling like you control the ship? You like the idea that someone controls everything, controls you. You like being under control.”

The words were so silent that only Harry could hear them. He decided to ignore them, because from now on, the supercilious pirate didn't exist in his world.

“Why isn't he speaking to me?” Louis asked Niall when he didn’t get a response, mock-whining. His hands slid lower down Harry's body, searching for places they hadn't had time to explore the other night. Harry wanted him to stop. He felt so close to crying.

“I don't know Louis,” Niall replied.

“You are disgusting,” Harry said quietly, trying to rein in his feelings. “An evil person and you have _no_ right to touch me. Hands _off._ ”

“Oh? Is that so, Kitten? Has your tiny brain that is designed to follow given rules and not your own decided that I'm not a good person? Impressive. Did you come to that conclusion by yourself, or did your sister help you out?”

At that, Harry let go of the wheel, pushing away from the Captain and leaving him standing in his place, smirking.

Truthfully, Harry had a hard time not giving the Captain the attention he wanted. Even though Harry had been a dedicated Christian for a year now and a Christian for his whole lifetime, he still didn't have all of the conduct rules down in his blood. He cursed by accident sometimes, and there were times when his hormones got the best of him and he had to touch himself, though he did feel awfully guilty and always prayed for a long time after it happened.

So when he gave in to the urge of snapping at Louis, it wasn't really something uncommon, but it was something that Harry was angry at himself for. He shouldn't feel the need to prove himself to others; it should be enough that he and God knew what kind of person he was. But somehow, it wasn't.

“You said before that you're just as worthy as me but have you ever considered that _I'm_ also just as worthy as you?! I'm not the stupid brainless rich kid that you seem to believe I am. I can write, read, and speak in three different languages! I'm good at math and physics and chemistry, and I almost know the whole Bible word by word!” Harry snapped.

“You know what, I don't really give a fuck what numbers and words and formats you have committed to memory. Did you know that you can also think with your own brain, that you can create something new? And if it really did matter, I can speak three and a half languages. I bet one of yours is Latin. It doesn't even count though because it’s totally useless in real life. But what would you possibly know about that, real life?” Louis shot back.

Harry was mad. He was _really_ mad. He didn't even know why he was like this, but that's how he had always been; someone has expectations of him that he doesn’t like, he tries to say something against it, the other person doesn’t even take him seriously and instead laughs in his face, and as a result, Harry loses his mind. Christianity hadn't helped him with that problem, not yet.

“Are you counting to ten? You look so concentrated,” Louis asked mockingly, and enough was enough.

“Just – fucking – leave me alone! You don't have the right! Why don't you – when are you even planning to leave us be? You can't keep us here forever – just fucking ask for the money you want and leave us alone!”

He stepped towards the pirate captain, pushing his fist into his chest. Louis stumbled back a few steps in surprise, but quickly recovered.

“Are you seriously getting physical with me? Well, it has been two days since the last time so I think it's only fair.”

Harry's eyes widened at his words. How _dare_ he? Now that Niall had heard, maybe someone else had too, and Harry couldn't stand the thought of anyone knowing. He couldn't stand even knowing it himself.

“How do you – I hate you – I fucking hate – I hate you!”

Harry didn't know what else to say, because that was all he felt. Hate towards the pirate captain who had kidnapped him from his family, hate towards him because he had tempted a drunken Harry to  _sin,_ to commit a sin that was as bad as murder, who stood there claiming Harry was stupid, that Harry couldn't use his brain.

“I'm the only one from both of us who knows how to use their brain! You only know how to ruin people’s lives! You only know how to take – you don't know how to give -” Harry's angry rambling was cut short by Louis.

“I love how you say us, it's so romantic.”

That was it. Harry raised his fist into the air, already imagining how it would feel when it connected with Louis' nose, breaking it, wanting to see the aftermath of the boy's face. He wouldn't look so arrogant then, surely. He felt an evil grin making its way across his face.

Suddenly though, someone grabbed his wrists from behind him. His first thought was to hurt them too, because they weren’t letting him hit the Captain – fucking  _kill_ the Captain - when he heard a familiar voice.

“Harry, it's me, Gemma, your sister. Don't do that. This is not who you are. And what you do to him he will do twice as bad to you. And to me and Nora. Do you want us to get hurt?”

He didn't. Something deep inside him reminded him that he wanted to keep Gemma safe.

“Take me away from here,” he whispered, and that was all it took for Gemma to walk him off the deck, away from Louis, away from any pirate, to her room.

She closed the door behind them.

“Can you not touch me for a minute? I feel like breaking something and I don't want it to be you.”

Gemma let go of his wrists, and sat down on her bed. She had seen this before.

Harry felt the anger pulse through him. Now, when he was standing still, with nothing to break and no one to shout at, he felt lost. The anger inside him was so raw, trying to claw its way out of him but not finding any passageway to escape through. He wanted to scream just because, but he knew that when he came to his senses, he would feel embarrassed as to have done that in a silent cabin. He wanted to run, lift weights, do  _anything_ , just anything else than having to stand there and feel.

But he couldn't. So he let the feeling pulse through him, time after time until he started to feel its pressure waning off. Finally, he felt decent enough to sit down next to Gemma and cry. That seemed to be the only way for him to get these feelings sorted out in some kind of order.

Gemma ran her hand through his hair repeatedly, her voice familiar even though he couldn't make out the words she was saying. As his tears came to a dry stop, he felt his senses return to him.

“Do you want to talk about it? About anything?” Gemma asked.

“This ship – and the captain – is driving me _crazy,_ ” he said, hating how he could hear his own voice shake.

 

Seeing her baby brother like this – so little and breakable, like a newborn baby in her arms again – was tearing Gemma apart. And she felt so helpless herself; if he broke, how could she put all the pieces back together, if he didn't allow her to do that? Harry believed everything was for some greater purpose, all a part of God's plan.

Sometimes, she felt like she was going to lose him to God even before she'd lose him to death. Religion was supposed to be something that made you happy and gave you comfort, but what Harry was going through was far from it, and that was pure torture for her. She tightened her hold against him, pressing him closer to her chest in a protective manner. 

“What did he do to you?” she asked, scared of the answer.

Before this, before those pains had started to take hold of Harry's body, he had been so different. And maybe the girls he used to flirt with only saw that he was a dedicated and religious Christian now but Gemma saw how the life had been sucked out of him, how he lost a tiny bit of his charm and confidence every single day. But since there had been so much of it to begin with, no one else had noticed. They would, eventually, maybe, but by then it would be already too late – in fact, it  _was_ already too late.

“He -” Harry's voice broke, but Gemma knew that he would tell her anyway. He always did.

“Baby, Hazza, you can tell me,” she reassured.

“If I – if I tell you, will you promise to stay quiet until I’m done?”

“I promise.”

So she kept quiet when Harry told her about getting drunk with Niall and the others, about forgetting what was right and what was a sin, and how he ended up grinding against the Captain, about the next morning and Eleanor, though he didn't remember much of the conversation. And after all of that, he told her about crying alone and how bad he felt about the whole incident.

“So, do you hate me now?” Harry asked in a tiny voice after a stretch of silence had gone by.

“Of course I don't hate you,” Gemma said immediately.

“Then you're disgusted?”

“'M not disgusted. People make mistakes. You shouldn't – what you did was wrong, you're not supposed to sleep with a man, especially a pirate, but don't judge yourself too hard. There are worse mistakes to make, and other than that, you have been an absolutely perfect Christian,” she said.

“I wasn't before.”

“Was Paul the Apostle? Remember what you learned from this incident in the future, and God'll forgive you. If he won't, I gotta have a few words with him about how he should be treating my baby brother.”

Harry giggled, but then he said seriously, “You're not supposed to joke about God.”

“Sorry Haz. Anyways, you should sleep now. You can stay here for the night.”

“Thanks, Gems. I love you.”

“I love you more.”

Gemma waited till Harry's shaky breaths slowly turned into long and steady ones, before she allowed herself to relax. It took her a while to fall asleep, but eventually, she did.

...

 

 

There was way too much noise.

It wasn't like it ever was quiet on a pirate ship - somebody was always shouting, singing (mostly out of tune) or laughing - but this was different. People were screaming like their lives were in danger.

Harry got up carefully as to not wake up Gemma, but there were no worries about that as she had always been a heavy sleeper.

Pushing his feet into his shoes, he stood up and exited the room, ready to find out what was going on outside.

The commotion got louder and louder as he approached the deck, and when he opened the door leading to it, the sound literally blew his ears.

It was terrible.

There were no words that came even close to describing the feeling that you get when you see actual people fighting for their lives, two ships’ worth of merciless pirates trying to kill each other. Harry felt nauseous.

There was blood, blood everywhere, and people lying on the deck. Maybe they were wounded, maybe they were dead. The thing was, nobody knew and nobody cared. Dead. There was no soul in those bodies, they were nothing but rotting corpses, and the realization was so scary. Harry couldn't see properly. He had thought he wouldn't be so scared of death, but when it was right there, surrounding him, in front of him, he felt like passing out. Were these people on their way to Hell right now? That wasn't a happy thought either.

Harry didn't even know who he was rooting for. The situation in the Emerald now wasn't good, but by what he'd heard he was pretty sure it could have been a lot worse and he definitely didn’t want that. So did that maybe mean that he wanted the crew of the Emerald to win after all?

A jolt of déjà vu hit him as somebody grabbed him from behind; pulling his wrists together much like Gemma had done the day before.

“This one doesn't seem like a pirate,” a strange, rough voice murmured in his ear. “You think Calder would be angry if we sold it as a slave?”

Harry could feel his heartbeat growing faster.

_Please don't let them sell me, I can take a punishment for my sins but not that, please, please, our Father, which art in Heaven..._

He was praying with his eyes shut, and for the first time ever he felt like he could cry from happiness when he heard Captain Calder's raspy voice.

“In my ship, no one hurts innocents,” he said, his voice cold and oozing with authority.

“Sure, that's exactly what your little crew is about. Justice before anything else. _Vive le droit!_ ” The man seemed amused by his own words.

Harry agreed with the man. A hundred percent. But right now, the man irritated him, though Harry would be lying if he said that he didn’t think his future would be a much brighter one if both pirates wound up in the bottom of the ocean. 

“Have you quite finished?” was the Captain’s only calm reply.

“I haven't actually. Your -”

But the man never got to finish his sentence. Louis shot him, right then and there, between his bushy eyebrows.

Harry wanted to look away, didn't want to see the life escaping the man's eyes – they were green, green like the seaweed he’d be surrounded with after being unceremoniously dumped into the cruel waters – but he couldn't. Harry, in some kind of trance, watched as dark red blood started to blossom, seeping out of the tiny hole in his forehead, draining along his face, and dribbling into his mouth – his mouth that had opened to utter a sentence but would never get to speak it out loud. He started to fall back over the railing.

Harry could smell the metallic odour of the blood; it filled his nostrils, invading his brain and senses. His stomach rolled around in nausea, and he felt the burning and unpalatable taste in his mouth before he threw up what was left of last night's dinner onto the floor. Then, his brain gave up, and everything went black.

 

...

 

Pain exploded in his body. It was coming from his left side, and it woke Harry up. His eyes were wet, but he didn't remember having any dreams. Or nightmares for that matter. He stretched out his fingers slowly to ensure that he wasn’t paralysed.

"This one's waking up," Harry heard a man inform from above him, before getting kicked in his side again, presumably just for fun. Harry curled into a tight ball, and parted his eyes.

The room was unfamiliar to him, a bit like the dungeons that had been on the Emerald, but more dingy. He didn't recognize the man; he looked at least fifteen years older than the average crewmember of the Emerald. Even in the dim candle light of the room, Harry could see the tiny scars scattered across his face forming a pattern that was much like that of a spider web. Harry felt his stomach twist in fear. 

"Where am I?" he asked quietly when he didn't receive another kick. His voice sounded so powerless and small that he couldn’t help but cringe at himself. 

"Out of the fake comfort of the Emerald of course, and in the cruel world. In other words, in the Black Flash's dungeons. No need to wonder when you're getting out of here cause you're not," the man said, seemingly enjoying and feeding off Harry's fright.

Harry hesitated for a moment in fear of getting hit again for asking a new question, but then decided it was best to test his boundaries right from the start, see how far he could push before getting punished. And maybe he'd get an answer too.

"Is there anyone else from the Emerald here?" 

He didn't even know if having Gemma and Nora here with him would be a good or a bad thing. On one hand, if they were here, Harry could keep them in his sight and what's more important, they'd be together. But if they were back on the Emerald, they would be all alone with the Emerald crew, although Harry had to admit that Louis' crew had never done anything physically damaging to any of them. After all, all the pirate captain had wanted to do was to sell them back to his parents. These pirates seemed much scarier, and already had no problem getting violent with Harry. "And what happened? How did I end up here?"

"Calder's here. He jumped to cover your body when he thought we'd shoot him so we took you too. Idiot. Well, you can thank him for this." 

An evil grin spread onto his face before he kicked Harry again, hard, this time probably breaking one of his rib bones. Harry groaned in pain, trying to keep the tears threatening to spill at bay.

"No more questions," the man sneered before leaving, the door clicking shut behind him.

As the pain was occupying all of his attention, it took Harry a few minutes to realize what the man had said. But then it hit him.

Louis had jumped in front of a bullet. For him.

_What?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and tell me your thoughts about this in comments or come talk to me on my
> 
> Twitter: @icuddlelixm
> 
> Tumblr: theharryandlouisthing
> 
> hope you're having a good day/night :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's got everything under control and the paradise the Bible promises to him doesn't seem too far away. Louis' got everything under control while building his own paradise on earth. Their worlds crash when Louis' forced by the situation to take Harry hostage on his ship, and suddenly nothing's under control for either of them.
> 
> Or where Louis is a pirate captain searching for a better life and Harry is a religious noble boy who's presumably dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took awfully long, I'm so sorry but Finnish Upper Secundary School is the biggest load of bullshit i'va ever experienced. But here it is, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta littlehazspoon (this is her Twitter and ao3, I don't know how to do the link) follow her and all yeah.
> 
> And I don't own one direction ((if i did the band would be managed in a very different way)) and this work is fiction.

Harry's head was literally going to kill him.

It was throbbing in pain, spreading back to his neck and down his spine, paralysing him. He knew he was able to move, he wasn't  _really_ paralysed, but he still couldn't. His mind was in a haze of pain, and it took too much effort to think, to pray for it to be better. He just hated. Hated his body and muscles and head for not being normal, for not being able to take a few hits, but they didn't obey, they kept hurting, and he wanted to rip his head off, to do something to make this stop. Anything.

He curled into himself, this time not having Gemma there for comfort.

 

After what felt like hours but probably was just a dozen minutes or so his mind slowly started to work, and thoughts flashed into his mind.

He'd been worried about Gemma being here or being on the Emerald, but he realized there was a third option. He didn't want to think about it, think about Gemma's body resting under the waves, never getting to wake up. He brought his hands to his face, realising it was already wet from tears. He had been crying from pain and hadn't even noticed.

A loud crack from the cell door made him part his eyes open, prepared for a new hit. It never came though, the person only pushed someone into the cell and closed the door.

"Well you can have fun with him till we figure what we're going to do with you next", the man said.

"You know, it would be much more hospitable to give us a bed, the floor seems very uncomfortable", Louis answered. Harry lifted his gaze to the pirate captain, and the sight actually made him grimace in sympathy.

Both of Louis' eyes were black like he had been hit, and there were several cuts and dried blood on his face, but that wasn't even the worst. His arms had long cuts, the skin bruised and burned. His hair was wet from whatever they had been doing to him.

And even after all that, he was standing there, looking like he didn't care. He flipped off the laughing man. Maybe he was a demon or something. An average man would probably be unconscious after what Louis had been through.

"Watch out or we'll break that too," he said as he left, making Harry notice that Louis' pinkie was twisted at a weird angle.

The moment the man was out of sight, Louis knelt in front of Harry.

"Get up", he whispered.

"Can't."

"They hit you? Fucking idiots. Where does it hurt?"

_Like you'd give a fuck. Everywhere,_ Harry thought.

"My left side. He kicked me. I think he might have broken some bones."

Louis lifted Harry's shirt, and he was going to protest before he realised that this time, Louis may actually was trying to help. He pressed his fingertips against one of Harry's rib bones, and traced it forward until Harry gave a yelp. He pressed with force, and Harry's field of vision blurred. He couldn't even tell Louis to stop from the pain. Slowly though, the pain started to move, leaving a growing spot that felt nothing but good, until it reached his head and toes at the same time.

No pain. Harry didn't remember when he felt this good, like he was actually floating inches from the ground.

But then, before he even got fully used to the painlessness, it came back. He groaned, feeling his eyes well up. He felt embarrassed, but really, for a little while he had thought Louis had somehow cured him. And now it was all back to normal.

"Now, get up. No broken bones," Louis said as he grabbed Harry's wrists and pulled him upwards.

"But I'm sure—" he said, preparing for the pain to explode in his side, but it never came. It hurt a little, but his muscles always hurt a little. "What did you do?" he whispered.

"Don't burn me alive on a stake and we're fine," he replied, lifting his hand to shut Harry up when he opened his mouth to speak. Pressing against Harry's back, he continued, "I have a plan. Be a good boy and listen to me and I might give you candy."

Harry felt something hard poke his lower back, right where Louis’ crotch was.

"You can't be serious! That's—eww!" Harry shouted, shocked.

Louis looked confused for a second, and then he burst out laughing. He pressed his hand to his mouth to suppress his giggles but all Harry could focus on was the contrast between his crinkled blue eye and the one that was almost swollen shut. He couldn't look away. Louis looked so kind, so innocent... For a second, he couldn't understand how someone could've done this to his face.

But then he remembered why the laughter came in the first place, and jolted away.

"You can—think anything—about me but—my kinks are not—that twisted, you know," Louis managed to say between his fits of laughter. He put his hand into his trousers and got out a chisel. "I don't get hard from people torturing me, thank you for asking", he said, still chuckling. Harry felt his face warm up.

"This is part of my plan, I stole it from them. God knows how this has made its way into their torturing equipment collection."

"So you're a torture equipment specialist then?"

"You're missing the point. You were supposed to gasp dramatically when I showed you the chisel. It's the key to our escape," Louis said, pouting. His split lip ruined it though; it came off as scary and a little bit sad.

"And how is that so?" Harry asked.

"I would have already told you if you'd keep your mouth shut. Or do you like having it open? Would you like having something inside it? Because I can help if that's the problem."

Harry bit his tongue to keep himself from commenting. After all, it looked like Louis was his only way out of here. When Louis saw Harry was not going to answer he chuckled and continued.

"So, you see that window? It's the stupidest thing the person who designed this ship could've done. It’s our luck he was stupid. It's double-glazed, but it's made of glass. So it's breakable. If I hit it with this chisel enough times, it'll break. And then, if they want to keep the ship from sinking they would have to come here and that’s when we run. Questions?"

"What if they have rowboats and they leave us? What if we don't get them to notice before it's too late?"

"Ah. So no important questions. Let's get this started."

"Louis—"

"I thought you preferred captain but it’s nice that you're finally ready for us to call each other by first name. Though, I do think it makes sense after we've been in such an intimate position. I think I'll still call you Kitten, though. It's more fitting."

Ignoring his words, Harry asked, "But what's my role in your plan?"

He could become a master at ignoring the captain. If he had enough time, that was. He hoped he wouldn’t. Because that would mean more time with pirates.

"You just sit here and play stupid. It shouldn't be too ha—“ Louis hissed, before he suddenly started speaking louder. "You'd like that wouldn't you? The moment we get out of this bloody ship... Oh, hi Mr. Torturer, didn't see you there. I was just telling this boy here how much I bloody love your ship. Is it on sale by any chance?"

It was then that Harry noticed the man with the spider web scars walking towards their cell. He grunted.

"Save your sweet talk for your twink. We have to check that you’re staying in your cell, Calder", the man said. Harry didn't know what a twink was but he was sure he didn't want to be called that. Still, he kept his mouth shut, just like he always did.

"I'm flattered, but I'm not a superhuman. How do you expect me to escape from here?" Louis asked.

"Well, I don't know what your girl has done to you. I thought you'd know to be always prepared for the worst."

Louis took a few steps towards the tiny window. "Oh, you don't wanna know that," Louis winked at him. "But the real question is, are you prepared for this?" he asked, and before the guy could understand what was going on Louis hit the window with the chisel several times until it broke.

"What're you—THERE'S A HOLE IN THE SHIP!" he shouted.

Harry couldn't do anything but stare as the water streamed from the broken window. It cascaded in much faster than he'd imagined, and he was sure they wouldn’t make it out alive. But whatever would happen would be the God's will.

He didn't want to die, though. He hoped God understood that. His feet were wet from the cold, salty water.

Louis grabbed him, hauling him up.

"Concentrate!" he snapped.

Without any warning, Louis suddenly pulled him in for a kiss. Harry was too shocked to react in any way to the determined set of lips pressing against his. His body seemed to remember the pleasure the captain had once given to him, pressing closer, enjoying Louis' hard stubble against his face, acting before Harry's mind could catch up with the situation.

Louis' lips tasted like blood and salt.

Some of the men that were running towards their cell started laughing at the kissing pair, and then Harry understood that he should try to get away. Before he could start struggling away though, Louis hissed against his lips, "Stop that right now, this is part of the plan. Believe me, I'm not enjoying this either, you should understand if you've seen the state of my mouth."

Harry stopped struggling but squeezed his lips closed tightly.

"Unfortunately, we have to separate you lovebirds," a man said as he opened the cell door, and that was when Harry understood how the kissing had been important for their escape.

The men were more unprepared than they would've been if they had stood with outstretched fists. Louis let go of Harry in a blink of an eye and aimed a kicked to the man's chin. Then, he took a hold on Harry's wrist and dragged him out of the door, hitting the man in front of him, grabbing the collar of the next and swinging him over his shoulder only to drop him onto the floor.

He started running with Harry right on his heels. Someone caught his sleeve and it ripped off.

"Can't you run any faster?" Louis screamed as they made their way through the ship, dodging and escaping the angry men hunting them.

"N—no," Harry panted back, already on the edge of his stamina.

"When we reach the end of the ship, we jump as far as possible, and them swim until we reach the beach, okay? 'Cause the ship's gonna suck us towards it with a huge force."

"Okay."

Harry jumped. He felt like his internal organs were left behind when the rest of his body kept falling down, down, down, and broke through the harsh surface of the sea. He lost hold of Louis' hand and started drifting towards the ship.

He tried to swim, but he couldn’t find his way back up so he started to panic.

The water was crushing him everywhere, and he didn't know what was up and what was down anymore.

He didn't want to drown. Anything else. The water was too big of a system, it wouldn't remember him, nobody would know what happened to him. He would never know if Gemma was okay.

Somebody grabbed his hand tightly and started to pull him in some direction. It didn't even matter anymore. His lungs were near exploding. He needed oxygen. He needed to breathe. Now. It didn't matter if his lungs were filled with water or air, they just needed to be filled with something.

He opened his mouth. His head broke through the surface of the water. He breathed in.

Air.

He gasped for it, but some water got into his mouth and so he started to cough.

Then he realized there was a person next to him, and clung onto them.

"I think we need to talk about our relationship. I need my own space sometimes too, Kitten," he heard Louis' voice. He immediately let go. "Well that was fast."

"C'mon, lets swim to the shore— _ow_ holy shit!" the captain suddenly screamed, and started kicking around and then fell back under the surface for a moment.

After he got back from underwater, he got a hold on Harry's hand again and started swimming towards the shore much faster than Harry ever could.

"Sharks— _quick,_ " he said.

Harry swam as fast as he could, scared of feeling sharp teeth piercing his skin.

As they reached the beach, they both crawled out of sea and away from the sharks, landing on the dry ground.

When the adrenaline had started to drain from their veins and they slowly stopped panting, Louis sat up to study his calf. Harry propped himself up on his elbows.

Louis rolled up the sleeves of his pants, and hissed when they clung to his wounded leg. Harry had to swallow the vomit that threatened to escape from his throat when he saw Louis' leg. It was fully covered in crimson red blood and the skin was slightly hanging apart on the edges of the bite spots.

He was imagining a situation where the shark would've bitten him instead of the captain, who seemed to be immune to pain as he merely observed the bite marks like he couldn't even feel them. Harry shivered.

"I wish somebody would just kill all the sharks! It could've bitten  _me_ !" Harry exclaimed. 

"And they say Christians’ biggest virtue is charity. Do you ever think about anyone other than yourself?" Louis sighed.

"Me? Only myself? What the fu—what are you talking about? I am terrified on your behalf but like you just said I’m a Christian and you represent everything that I stand against. And you don't seem to be suffering anyways," Harry shot back.

"Thank you very much, I totally appreciate someone-who-doesn't-know-a-shit-about-me’s opinion. And I was talking about the shark, not myself but it might be an unfamiliar concept for you—thinking about someone else. The shark didn't do anything wrong," Louis informed him.

"It  _did_ try to kill you, but you're right, there's nothing wrong with that."

"So you're blaming it for trying to kill someone? How many have you killed? How many have given their lives in favour of you getting to keep yours?" Louis looked at him like knew something Harry didn't. Fucking idiot.

"None. Unlike you," Harry said, raising his eyebrows.

"How are you so sure about that? What about all the meat you've eaten? All the insects you've stepped on? What about the army your family pays to kill and get killed? And here you are, blaming a shark for trying to find food."

"So are you feeling some bond to your soul with that shark? Oh, I forgot. You don't even have a soul," Harry snapped.

"And now you are playing God. Who are you to say who has and who doesn't have a soul? Do the rich and wealthy, those who can pay for the church and who don't have to fight for their lives only have a soul? Yes, I do feel a connection with that shark and I'm damn proud about it. Have you ever thought that a human is the only fucking animal that kills for fun?  _Every single_ other creature on this planet kills only to stay alive."

"Humans are not animals. And God created us to be the lords of this planet. We have to take care of the planet that was given to us and be kind to other creatures, but also remember we were created on the sixth day and in the end, we matter the most."

"You disgust me," Louis said, spitting onto the ground in front of Harry.

"It's mutual," Harry answered, but refused to reduce himself to Louis’ level and spit.

"Great. So now we've discussed it."

"We wouldn't have needed to discuss it. You repulse me. Always have."

"They say kids and the drunk are the most honest. You've had good thoughts about me sometime. Otherwise I wouldn't be standing here presumably. Languish in that thought now."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, but Louis didn't get the change to answer because they noticed some pirates rowing towards the beach. He probably wouldn't have answered anyways.

Louis grabbed Harry's wrist and started running, again.

"Before you say anything about me not having the right to touch you please shut up and run,” was all Louis said when Harry opened his mouth.

They ran into the forest, and at first, Harry had to admire the flora. It was so different from the English one he was used to, so rich and full of life. There were colourful birds and butterflies everywhere.

After running for his life for few minutes, Harry couldn't concentrate on the nature anymore, no matter how pretty it was. He was panting, tasting blood in his throat as his muscles strongly protested against his brain which was telling him to keep moving.

A root of a huge tree was sticking out from the ground and because Harry couldn’t coordinate his body, his foot hit it and he stumbled.

"Shit," Louis mumbled between heavy pants. Harry could see that he was trying his best to look unharmed. Louis pulled Harry up almost violently, ordering him to get onto his back. Harry was too tired to resist, so he grabbed a hold on Louis with his arms and legs, and then the captain started to climb onto one of the trees like a spider monkey.

"What kind of superhuman are you?" Harry asked, after he thought he had caught his breath. He definitely hadn't though, because not being able to breathe only for the few seconds that it took to get that sentence out was too much.

"Maybe I'm the next coming of Jesus. Maybe you're going to Hell," Louis answered, clearly on the edge of his stamina.

"I would've guessed the Devil," Harry mumbled.

They finally reached the branches that had enough leafs to cover them. Louis left Harry to sit on the corner of one of the branches while he situated himself on an upper one.

Harry was still out of breath when he saw the Black Flash's pirates arriving in his line of sight. He could feel his pulse fastening, and even though he knew there were leafs to block the view, it wouldn't be impossible for them to notice him if they really looked.

After a very nerve-wracking moments, the pirates left, looking someplace else. Harry was left with just one pirate from the Emerald. He let himself take a few deep breaths to calm down.

Louis on the contrary didn't need time to calm down. He helped Harry out of the tree, and started leading them the opposite direction of where the pirates had gone quickly.

 

...

 

After a long and tiring walk, they finally found a river where they could clean up.

Louis threw his blue coat to the ground, took off his shoes and pulled off his shirt and trousers. Harry felt his cheeks redden as he watched the other male stand totally nude in front of him. He hadn't really seen that many males naked, never, if you didn't count pre-puberty. Well, except himself of course.

Louis was facing the river so his back was turned to Harry who couldn't help stealing glances of him. It was so different seeing the captain without his articles of flamboyant clothing. For all Harry knew, Louis could've looked terrible without his clothing—hell, he could've been green. He wasn't.

Louis had a thin waist, muscular thighs and calves, curvy hips and a round ass. There were cuts on his legs and shoulders, but other than that, he was all golden and firm.

And he was short.

Harry couldn't believe it. He stepped closer to see if he wasn't hallucinating, but it was true. The captain was at least five inches shorter than him—he just hadn't realized it before because of the other boy's big persona.

"What're you doing?" Louis snapped as he quickly turned around. Harry's blush deepened. He tried to keep his eyes fixed on Louis' face, but he couldn't help but notice that there was a huge scar on his chest. Or that he was big. Not that he cared.

"You're tiny," he voiced his thoughts out loud. Then he realised what he had said hadn't really come out like he meant it to. "Smaller than me."

"I could still kill you right here Kitten," Louis said, unimpressed. For a second, Harry was confused. Louis still called him Kitten. Harry quickly reminded himself that it wasn't a pet name; it was a name to remind him which one of them was in charge. Harry was mad at himself for forgetting.

But Louis' words made him remember something.

"Why didn't you? Let them kill me?" he knew he was heading onto dangerous waters now, asking a pirate why he hadn't killed him, but when Spiderweb's words came back to his head, he just couldn't not ask.

"No one kills innocents on my ship. I thought you knew that," Louis said, looking impatient. Or could it have been nervous?

"After I passed out, I mean. A pirate from Black Flash said you jumped in front of a fucking bullet for me—sorry," Harry stopped to apologize.

"Are you seriously apologizing to me for cussing?" Louis looked amused again. He was clearly trying to change the subject.

"Not you, obviously. God."

"Why would God give a shit about your cursing? I understand he gets mad if you kill someone but cursing? Seriously?"

Suddenly, Harry felt really tired.

" _I don't know!_ That's what Father Jones told me. But you didn't answer my question. You jumped to cover me and now I'm here!"

"And you didn't answer mine. But if I hadn't, indeed, you wouldn't be here. You'd be dead but if you put my reputation aside for a second you’d know that I don't like death. I wouldn’t wish it upon you even. Now excuse me, I need to wash up."

He turned so that his back was facing Harry again but not before shouting, "You should seriously consider joining me. You don't smell so royally anymore."

 

...

 

"Wake up Kitten."

Someone was poking his side with their feet said. It wasn't exactly painful, just slightly annoying. Harry opened his eyes slowly, focusing on the person who had interrupted his nice dream.

"We gotta get going if we want to reach the ship that agreed to take us to Huelva," Louis said.

"What welba?" Harry asked, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Huelva you moron," Louis repeated, forcing Harry to get up. Harry walked to the waterline, and after rinsing his face with the cold water he felt a bit more awake. "It's a city in Spain."

As they walked towards the dock Louis shortly explained to him that he had found a ship that was going in the same direction and that they would only have to work with the crew in order to get to Huelva. They could apparently be back with the Emerald in less than a week. Harry didn't know if that was supposed to be good or bad news. At least he was going to see his sister and Nora.

"Wait, when did you do all of this? I mean, talk to the captain of the ship and all?" Harry asked, when he realised the complex.

"I didn't sleep," Louis answered.

"But I could've waken and escaped?" Harry said, bemused.

"Nope," the captain answered. "Here we are. Look at the ship. Isn't it ugly compared to mine, Kitten?"

Harry didn't give him an answer but he didn't even seem to be expecting one.

"Before we go up there, I want to make few things clear, okay?" Louis asked as he stopped.

Harry just nodded in response.

"So, this ship's not a pirate ship, you see, and they probably wouldn't appreciate the fact that you're my hostage, so you might want to not mention it. Just to let you know, if you were to let anything slip, no one would be happy. Especially not you. I didn't want to kidnap you, it was self-defence and I'm gonna sell you and your sister back to your parents the moment we visit England again. I haven't got any cruel plan for you, so there's no reason for you to try to run away."

"What about Nora?" Harry interrupted.  
  
"Of course, if she wants to," Louis stated calmly.

"What're you talking about? Of course she does!" Harry snapped, even though he felt a hint of suspect inside. Nora's words _“If I can make it alive from here, I won't be anyone's servant”_ rang in his head. He didn't want to lose his only friend that wasn't his sister.

"Not everyone wants to dedicate their lives to serving others, you know. Now, if you could shut up and listen, Kitten, that'd be amazing. Your name will be Josh Smith, could you remember that? Repeat after—"

"You just told me to shut up, make up your mind," Harry interrupted.

Louis rolled his eyes. "Don't be cheeky. It's not cute or funny. Josh Smith. Very easy. Repeat."

Harry rolled his eyes back at him. "Josh Smith."

Louis clapped his hands. "Wasn't that hard, was it? I am Will Brown. Repeat."  
  
"Will Brown."  
  
"Great. You won't have to tell them anything else about yourself. Okay?"

"I won't."

"And one more thing. We can't act like enemies there, so if you can't learn to like me, pretend for five days. That shouldn't be too hard."

"If you act like a decent human being and pretend you don't hate me, I promise to try."

"Hate is a strong and passionate word," Louis said. "And we're almost late."

They walked up the gangway, and before they stepped to the deck, Louis stopped Harry.

"Two things. You're Josh Smith and you are my friend. And we'll be fine."

They were taken to shake the captain's hand and then someone showed them a place under the deck where they would be sleeping. It was on the floor, smelly, and cold. Harry considered jumping into the sea a better option.

 

...

 

Working on the ship was nothing like doing the organized and equally shared tasks on the Emerald. It was like slavery, and Harry could hardly pull himself out of bed and walk. His body felt like it was made of pure torture, and he was on the edge of tears all the time. He tried to imagine he was a machine, shut his mind and body down as well as he could. It wasn't working very well though.

In this situation, getting to cook had sounded like a blessing. He tried to remember that while standing in front of the captain and listening to his reproach.

"This food tastes like vomit," the captain said after stuffing three spoonfuls of the soup into his mouth.

"I'm sorry, I couldn’t find many ingredients and those tomatoes had probably seen their best days already," Harry answered, his head bowed down.

"Then how is it possible that my other crew members can cook way better?"

"I may have put a bit too much spice to cover the awful taste of the tomatoes."

"This is exactly—" the captain started but Louis interrupted him.

"The boy did his best. Is that so bloody hard to understand?!" he shouted as he stood up, silencing everyone who had still been talking around the table.

"This is not your problem, Brown" the captain said, turning back to his food.

"If it's so bad maybe you shouldn't eat at all," Louis hissed, and when the captain ignored him he started taking quick steps towards him.

Harry had almost no time to make a decision between interfering and not interfering. He came to the conclusion that a not-that-angry captain and a slightly-angry pirate were the best option for him right now, so he stepped in Louis’ way and spread his arms to block him from reaching the captain. When Louis was right in front of him, he grabbed him by the arm and roughly dragged him out of the dining cabin.

The pirate let him lead him for a moment, but when they were out on the deck he started protesting.

"Why did you— let me go back—he fucking—he ignored me!" Louis said, trying to shake off Harry's grip, and finally succeeding because Harry was physically a lot weaker than Louis. There was fire in the older man's eyes.

"He was talking about me," Harry pointed out quietly. "Nothing about you. Why’re you so mad?"

"I don't—" Louis looked confused for a second, but then the fire came back in his eyes. He grabbed Harry's hand and started walking.

"What're you—"

"We’re not going back to the captain, no," Louis said, and before Harry could open his mouth again, he continued, "I'm not going to rape you either, don't look so scared."

They came to a small room that was on the captain's and first mate's hallway, and Louis pick-locked it open with a piece of iron wire.

"Ta da," Louis said, as the door opened with a creak.

The small room had shelves running from the floor to the roof, all filled with bottles of dark brown liquid. There was a candle that Louis lit, before he closed the door, leaving them alone in the small room with just alcohol and each other. Louis sat down on the floor.

"There are worse sins than drinking away your misery. And our situation is pretty shitty right now," Louis said as he broke the neck of the rum bottle that had been closest to him.

"How did you know…?" Harry asked, gesturing around.

"When you live like me you notice and remember the smallest things. This is one of the products they sell. Imagine how fucking mad he'll be when he sees some of it is gone." Louis poured the rum into his mouth straight from the bottle.

"Aren't we gonna get shit from that?" Harry asked, and the curse just made its way into his sentence, maybe to fit Louis' rough language. He didn't even remember if it had been God or just the fancy people around him that had forbidden those words from him. It couldn't matter that much.

"We'll be gone in two days. He won't have time to kill us."

Harry's heart was picking up speed. He should get away before they got caught. Louis looked up at him with his mouth wrapped around the rim of the rum bottle. The corners of his lips turned up, and he lifted his eyebrows.

The rum smelled sweet. Harry sat down.

Louis laughed, and opened a bottle for Harry too.

"The captain—fuck him. I could've killed him right there. Or made him my slave. I'm above him." Louis spat on the floor. "He should realise that."

Harry took a tiny sip of his rum. It tasted bitter, with a hint of burnt sugar and spices. He poured a bigger amount of the liquor into his mouth, and it burned on its way down. His stomach twisted because of the unfamiliar drink.

"I've got a bad temper," Louis stated, turning his eyes at the roof. "Sorry."

"No it's—I used to too," Harry responded.

"You have," Louis corrected. "Or maybe I just bring out the worst in you."

"I think…" Harry started, but didn't finish. He stared at the roof too.

"You know, this roof, it's like the Bible," Louis said after a long pause. His voice was lower and rougher from the alcohol.

"What?"

"It blocks the view to the sky. Freedom. If you imagine there's an old man that stalks your every move and shouts “sin!” every time you do something he doesn't like, it's sick. Why would he care? It's only the priest's way to dictate weak-willed people. I don't care about God, but the Bible's not even a religion anymore, it's an excuse. An escape."

"You're wrong," Harry protested, his voice even slower than normal because the right words didn't come into his head in time with his mouth.

"I thought you'd be something else," Louis said, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"Why?" Harry asked, looking at Louis' face, and when Louis looked up their eyes locked.

"Of course you don't remember," Louis sounded sad. "I wasn't your rank. But you saved me. You gave me food. And you let me play with you. You were so much better than the other kids, you were so generous, you appreciated everyone and smiled all the time. You had dimples. I haven't seen them much lately. Just—look what they've done to you." Louis blinked his eyes. They might've been wet, but it could have just been the quivering candle light.

Harry had to swing the bottle a lot more than a moment ago to get his mouth wet. Or maybe it had been longer than a moment. Time seemed to have frozen, but the candle was still shortening. It wouldn't be long until they'd be in complete darkness.

"Emerald eyes," Harry whispered.

"That's what I called you, Kitten," Louis whispered back, almost fondly.

It was cold in the room. It wasn't that Louis' warmth was the only kind of warmth he wanted.

The distance between the two was only about a foot, but Harry found it hard to walk in a straight line even on his hands and knees. He collapsed on top of the drunken pirate captain, making them both giggle. Louis tickled Harry's side and Harry giggled even harder.

"You're not that bad. You're smart. Your eyes crinkle when you laugh," Harry said, cupping Louis' cheekbones.

"It's disgusting," Louis complained. "Makes me look old."

"It's cute. Makes me wanna kiss you. Can I?" Harry almost whispered the last words into Louis' mouth.

Louis didn't answer. He lifted his head forward so that he reached Harry's lips, and pulled him against him so he was trapped between the wall and Harry.

Harry's ears were ringing, his heartbeat mixing with Louis'. It felt like a dream. The dream about Louis' hands and the little boy talking about emeralds, but reversed. Louis didn't seem to plan on escaping.

Louis' hand was pressing against Harry's back, while the other was tracing along his scalp. The kiss was wet, it was nothing like their previous one which was supposed to be their last too. Their tongues searched each other's mouths, tasting the back of teeth and palates. Louis felt small and warm under Harry’s body.

They pulled apart to breathe, and Harry rubbed his smooth cheek against Louis' prickly one. It sent shivers through his body´.

"These are getting long," Louis said, as he pulled one of Harry's curls lazily, getting a sharp gasp out of the boy. "I like it."

Harry just purred in response. He didn't remember how to produce words, and his eyelids felt heavy. They were almost lying on the floor now.

"Little Kitten. You're cute. You know I don't mean anything bad by calling you that?" Louis mumbled as he pressed small kisses along Harry's face. Harry slowly drifted off to sleep, not even noticing when Louis' whispers turned into ones made up by his own, alcohol filled mind.

 

...

 

Louis woke up before Harry. He stared at the sleeping boy on top of him for a minute, before sighing and moving him on the floor. He hesitated before pressing his palm against Harry's forehead, and concentrated hard for a while. He had been too reckless last night. He was lucky he never had bad hangovers.

Or actually it had nothing to do with luck.

He ensured that the hallway was empty before he lifted Harry in his arms and carried him to where he should be sleeping. He left the room, almost tripping over somebody's rucksack on the floor. Maybe the hangovers had some effect on him after all.

When Harry woke up, he wouldn't remember anything about their little adventure.

 

...

 

No one reported the two missing bottles of rum, and when they finally reached the port, Harry and Louis could leave the ship and Josh Smith who kissed Will Brown behind.

Louis pickpocketed them enough money so they could rest in a tavern, and Harry was too tired to try to stop him.

Louis let Harry sleep way past midday, and the thing that finally woke him up was the smell of delicious—and fresh—food.

"I bought this for you, Kitten," Louis said, and his voice sounded soft. "You look so pale. Hopefully you're not gonna be sick."

"Bought?" Harry asked. He didn't want to answer Louis' concerns about his health, if not because he didn't want to show his weakness to the pirate then because he didn't understand why he even was concerned in the first place. He had been weird since the moment he'd stood up for Harry against the captain, and Harry didn't like it. It terrified him.

"I did. Well, I stole the money, but," Louis laughed. Harry didn't, and Louis stopped. He gave him the food and a steamy cup of tea. "Eat. Tell me when you're ready to leave. Or if you need a doctor."

"I don't need a doctor," Harry said coldly. They hadn't been any help before, so why would anything have changed?

 

...

 

The air outside the tavern smelt like smoke, and Harry and Louis could hear distant screams coming from the village. Louis' frowned.

"C'mon, follow me," he instructed, and started walking rapidly, not even checking if Harry was following. He was still, out of habit to obey the captain.

Soon enough they found out that the smell of smoke was coming from a house fire. Louis grabbed an old woman's coat, and said something in Spanish. She answered, and after a quick conversation Louis turned around and started running towards the house, pushing people out of his way. It made Harry wonder what had gotten the pirate to move that fast. Free jewellery, maybe?

He tried to follow Louis, but eventually the crowd got in the way. There was a man and a woman crying near him, apparently the owners of the house.

But Louis kept running, straight into the burning house. Harry felt his eyes widen.

The house was pretty; Harry could see it even through all the smoke and flames. It was big, and the smoke was coming out of all the open windows and air vents. There were flames coming from several windows downstairs. The open door was releasing big amounts of gray smoke. Louis was swallowed by them immediately after going in. Harry had never seen anything like that.

The voices from the small crowd around him were rising quickly, and no help seemed to be near.

Seconds passed, then minutes. Harry didn't know what to think, what to hope, what to believe. He couldn't bring himself to hope that Louis was dead. That would've been a sin. Or maybe he didn't care about sins. Maybe it was just the blue of his eyes. Maybe, this time, he was actually paralysed and he really couldn't move.

His heart started to pick up speed, and he told it to stop. Told his hands to stop shaking. They didn't obey. His body never obeyed him. It was terrible, and he needed excuses.

Would the firemen come early to save the couple's house, their whole life?

Then he heard the crowd gasp. He lifted his gaze, seeing a man carrying a little child passed out in his arms, both covered in ash and charcoal. Why did crowds always gasp when they saw Louis? Hangings, now, the other times he hadn't been around. Louis had made Harry gasp too—his name, in a dark cabin, with his veins filled with alcohol—but that needed to be forgotten. Harry didn't gasp this time. Louis had saved a child and Harry woke up from his trance, into reality.

Harry told his mind to shut up. The girl was given into her crying parents' arms, and after Louis said something, they hugged him, smiling like the sun. The girl was alive, Harry guessed. Louis' blue eyes bored into his. Then he turned back to the parents.

This was his chance. Harry turned around. This time his body would obey. It had to.

He ran away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave kudos and tell me your thoughts about this in comments or come talk to me on my
> 
> Twitter: @icuddlelixm
> 
> Tumblr: theharryandlouisthing
> 
> hope you're having a good day/night :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a terribly slow updater. Sorry. But the chapter is now finally here and I'm not dead so... yay? :D This is unbetaed but I tried to go through it dozens of times so it would be good, but if you notice any mistakes don't be scared to let me know :). I hope you will enjoy reading this because I especially enjoyed writing this (so much that I wrote some of it in my english lesson, Oops?)
> 
> BUT I just realised I've been writing this for over a year now. How cool is that? Thank you to everyone who has stayed with me, all your kudos, comments and bookmarks give me strenght to write this on the middle of the night when I have school the next day XD Love you all!

He kept running until his lungs were hurting and he could taste blood in his mouth, then turned into an empty alley to hide from Louis who would surely start looking for him at any minute. When he was resting against a cold stone wall, he suddenly felt someone grab his hands. He pulled them back and turned around.

A kid stared back at him, his thin face dirty. Harry was about to relax, when he saw another. And another. And more.

And that was when he started getting scared.

One of the boys said something in Spanish to the others. Harry tried to say something calming in English, but the children didn't seem to understand. Or care.

Harry loved kids. He really did. But he couldn't say he was anything but frightened when the kids grabbed him and started violently tearing his pockets to see if he'd have any money. He cried for help, so one of the boys hit him on the mouth. Hit him. A Kid.

"I leave you for few minutes and you succeed to run away, get robbed and have you pretty face smeared with dirt. How is it that you're supposed to rule a town some day?" Harry hears a familiar voice say, with a surprisingly little amount of anger in his voice.

The captain had found him after all. Harry may should've felt relieved that he was safe now, but he just felt bitter. He didn't want to be a damsel in distress all the time. Especially not Louis' damsel in distress.

Louis threw the kids some silver coins, and pulled his sword from the scabbard on his hips and pointed it to the children. They collected the money quickly and ran into the dark alley.

"Are you stupid or something?" Louis snapped to Harry after the kids were gone. His voice still didn't sound angry, more like disappointed, but Harry thought he had to be wrong. "You have no reason to escape and yet you still do it, and it all just leads to me having to save you from some burglars. Why the hell Kitten?"

"Why?" Harry asked. "Are you being serious now? Do whatever you were going to do, punish me if you please but you seriously can't be asking me _why_ I want to run away from my kidnapper?"

"Punish you? Didn't take you for the kinky type, Kitten, but seems that first impressions can be wrong," Louis said dryly. "Follow me and don't try any tricks anymore. You should've learnt by now that whenever you go, I will find you. Actually that sounds kind of romantic, doesn't it?"

No witty answers came to Harry's mind so he just rolled his eyes at Louis' back and started walking. It was so casual, almost like friends bantering but at the same time so cold and Harry had no idea how he had ended in this kind of situation with anyone. Especially with a pirate captain.

  
  


...

  
  


The town market was full of noises, people making offers and shouting over each other. Louis had insisted that Harry had to stand close to him as he was bargaining with a market trader about a beautiful bay horse. The horse looked a bit like the one Harry had back home and he felt a twitch of homesickness in his stomach. His parents must be so worried, he thought. He hoped there could've been any way that he could send them a letter, just to let them know that he wasn't dead.

He didn't ask Louis that, but as he was walking the horse towards the woods where a path started, he opened his mouth.

"You have been hinting that you'll return us safely", he said. Louis turned his head and lifted his eyebrows, like he thought that the question wasn't needed.

"Yes," he said shortly.

"But why would it be such a bad thing if I ran away, then? Is the money you can get from me so important to you? You don't seem like a poor pirate to me. And honestly, wouldn't it be easier to kill me?" Harry asked.

"Aren't you in a risky mood today. First you ask for punishments and now you're asking why you're still alive. Actually, I just started wondering that myself." Louis answered half heartedly.

"I'm being serious," Harry said, sinking his nails into his palms to stay calm. "You're not funny."

"And you're not virtuous."

"Do not talk me about religion, pirate. The path you have chosen is leading you to Hell," Harry said.

"This one?" Louis asked, pointing forwards. "You're walking with me."

He finally directed his gaze to Harry's face. "I thought God was supposed to do the judging, not man. Besides, you were a womanizer. You got drunk. You can't contain your anger. And it hasn't even been a long time since you got off with a man," Louis said, almost sing-songing it. Harry stared at him for a while, because - huh?

"I pleaded forgiveness. That's what the father in Heaven is about. And how do you even know that?"

"I know all. Why does God care?"

"He created mankind to be his reflection."

"Why did he create us?"

"Because he loves us."

"That is bullshit coming from your mouth. You Christians speak about God of love but go around judging in the name of God.

"God loves us so he wants us to live in a way that is best for us. And if we do sin, He is upset but even a mother can't love a son that commits crimes and lives in a sin, so why should God? But with God there is always a second change if you truly repent. If that isn't God of love, what is?"

"I would say a god who didn't make numerous rules that are impossible to follow, a god who wouldn't want us to live in fear of Hell. And, a mother can love a son who lives in sin, if she doesn't know, if he has no other choice. Love can be found everywhere, not only on the fancy dinner parties of the noble - especially not there. Love is not a decision, you can't help it, but you can decide how you act about it." Louis' voice got slightly louder towards the end of the sentence, like he was talking about things that personally affected him.

"Exactly," Harry said, taking a small step backwards. "You just described how God loves us. What are you even trying to prove?"

"We don't need God any more than he needs us. And besides, didn't he exist like forever before creating us. What was before?"

"Darkness," Harry said, starting to get uncomfortable.

"Why did he live in the darkness so long?"

"I don't know God's ways."

"Sure. But if your God can forgive everyone, why is there hell? Why do we get few decades to show what we're about and then we go somewhere for eternity? Why do different people get different periods to start believing in God?" Louis urged.

"It's not an eternity necessarily. If you go to purgatory it's temporary."

"Answer me."

"Some people are just so evil that purgatory isn't enough."

"Am I?"

Harry stopped walking to take a look at the captain. After sighing, he started walking again and said: "You could be saved. I don't think you want to be."

"But do you even remember where this conversation came from? Why don't you kill me?"

"I don't want to go to hell?"

"You don't believe in hell."

"I like to play it safe"

"But -," Harry started, but he was cut off with the pirate's knife against his chest. For a second he was sure he had went too far, that it would end now. But one look into Louis eyes was enough to convince him otherwise - there was anger now, even rage but under all that he looked desperate and kind of... scared? Harry didn't understand a damn thing about the captain anymore.

"Enough! Get on the horseback. And don't talk."

  
  


...

  
  


After few hours of sitting in the saddle of the trotting horse and Louis jogging on the side he climbed to sit behind Harry. For a while Harry was stiff, trying to lean away from the pirate, but when Louis didn't try to grope him and just concentrated to leading the horse he relaxed a bit against him. It was more comfortable that way anyway.

Louis was warm. Harry tried not to think how safe it felt to know he'd hold him if he fell asleep on the saddle.

It took them the whole day and night to get to the port town Louis was heading to, and at that point the horse's sides were foaming. Harry had been half asleep against Louis' chest for the past few hours.

When he got off the horseback he waddled like a penguin and would have fallen if Louis hadn't caught him.

"Zayn should be here already, or if they have got in trouble at the latest in three days," Louis informed, and let go of him. "Let's check if the Emerald is at the decks."

"Aren't they gonna arrest them here?" Harry asked sleepily. "And you?"

"We're not wanted in Spain. I'm not as famous as you think I am, even though I am flattered, Kitten, that you thought my reputation was worldwide," Louis said, ruffling Harry's hair. Harry pushed his hand away.

  
  


...

  
  


The Emerald wasn't at the dock, so they went looking for somewhere to sleep.

A blonde, young girl looked in their direction, just like she was just checking the people around her, but she turned quickly back and started walking towards them, first slowly but them her pace quickened until the point he was nearly running. Harry nudged Louis with his elbow.

"Louis!" the girl shouted, making Louis jolt.

"Charlotte!" he shouted back, and to Harry's big surprise started running towards her too, and then closed her in his embrace. Harry was left standing with the weary horse, and he couldn't make out what the pair was saying.

Finally they started pointing at him, and when they walked closer Harry saw tears in Charlotte's face - and he swore Louis' eyes looked wet too. He didn't understand a thing.

Charlotte smiled to Harry.

"You must be Louis' friend from the navy?" She said it more as a statement than question, making Harry frown. Because - were they calling pirates navy now? "I'm Charlotte Tomlinson, his sister," she continued, bobbing a curtsy.

"I'm Harry... Harry Styles," Harry said, not confirming anything but not denying either because of Louis' demanding gaze. And - Tomlinson? He hadn't seen a ring on her hand, but maybe they had different traditions in Spain than in Britain. He was too tired and too well mannered to ask, though.

"Louis said you would come stay with us until your ship returns? That must've been such a terrible experience - pirates!" Charlotte shivered.

"Pirates?" Harry asked, as he and Louis followed Charlotte towards the fish counter. Did she know after all? And if she did know, why was she so calm yet disgusted?

"It was one of the worst experiences of my life," Louis said before Harry could keep going. "We had to stay on their dungeons for days. But luckily Zayn knows to come here to look for me, so he should be here in few days."

"Do you think he could stay with us for a while too? I miss him," Charlotte asked.

"Sorry, Lots. I don't think we'll have time for that. We're already late on the schedule because of the pirate's attack and the extra route that they have to do because of us."

Charlotte pouted, and Louis ruffled her hair. Harry couldn't stop looking at them bemusedly. Louis Calder had a sister, and by their conversation it seemed that he had a whole family there, and not a poor one because they talked about carriages and servants, and Charlotte's dress was made of expensive blue silk and lace.

_'Don't tell her'_ , Louis mouthed at him when Charlotte turned her back. 

_'What?'_ Harry mouthed back.

_'Anything'_ Louis answered. He didn't need to threaten him, Harry knew by the look of his eyes that it would be healthier not to try.

  
  


After Charlotte was done with shopping she lead them to her horse carriages. Louis gave the horse they had ridden to the town to be looked after by one of the male servants. Harry felt kind of relaxed, even though he was on the way to a pirate captain's house. The glory, the polite small talk Charlotte kept going with him, it was all familiar. He thought about home again when he saw the light yellow house that was decorated with white pediments above the windows. The front garden was green and well kept, and had fountains where stone mermaids were bathing. Everything looked much more new than the Styles Castle that had been build in the middle ages, and the villa was much smaller.

Louis' mum started crying when she saw her son, and hugged him while Harry stood awkwardly behind. These people seriously didn't know what their son or brother was. Harry felt bad for them, but he knew he couldn't tell them if he held his own life precious.

Louis' mum introduced as Johanna Deakin, and shook Harry's arm warmly. It wasn't what a noble woman would have done, only men shook hands, but Harry let it slip because he didn't want to anger Louis by offending his mother.

The other children were apparently kiteflying with their stepfather, so no more introductions were needed and Charlotte showed Harry his room. A maid drew him a bath and brought him some of Louis' stepdad's, Daniel's, clothes so he could get rid of his dirty ones. Harry sighed in relief. He hadn't had the privilege of clean clothes for almost three weeks.

  
  


...

  
  


The warm water didn't help him to get rid of the tiredness, quite the opposite actually, so he called the maid and asked for a bucket of cold water. She looked him weirdly, but said nothing, just curtsied and left. He rubbed his face with the icy water, and it did make him feel slightly fresher. He promised his tired brain he'd go early to bed.

After he had cleaned and dried and was wearing new clothes, he exited his room, entering the hallway. There was no one in sight, so he walked forwards until he saw a door that was slightly ajar. He knew it was rude but he couldn't help his curiosity so he opened the door and looked around. It seemed to be some sort of office, with bookcases on the walls and papers spread around a wooden desk, covered with dust.

He walked to a writing table and had already started to regret his decision, when he spotted a blue notebook on the table that seemed to be newly dusted unlike the other things. Also, it looked strangely familiar.

_'Blue like your eyes.'_

Harry didn't know where the words came to his mind, but they made him open the book.

_LOUIS TOMLINSON_ The first page said in child's handwriting. Harry turned the page with shaky hands. There was no text. There was a drawing.

It was of two persons, two boys probably because their hair consisted of small lines sticking out of their heads. The boys had smiley faces and they were holding hands. Harry didn't know if he dared to let his eyes go lower on the page, because suddenly, he knew what he would find.

_Harry and Louis_ , it said in a different handwriting. It belonged to a child, too, but it was more practiced, like someone who had been taught to write when he was very little. Someone who had grown up in a palace.

Someone like him.

"Whenever you're ready", said a voice from the door. Harry refused to fear him, so he turned slowly around.

"Why are there holes in my memory?" he asked quietly.

"Why would I know?"

"They're about you. I remember you. I've started to."

"After you nosed around my personal papers?"

"How is _my_ drawing from years ago _your_ personal paper? And no, not just now. Why did I feel hungover after the second day on the ship? And why don't I remember a thing?"

"You can lose your memory after you drink. It happens."

"I don't recall drinking."

"Ah." Louis looked like he was trying his hardest to say something smart, but came up with nothing. Harry took advantage on it.

"And not just that. This-" he shoved the blue notebook to Louis"- clearly proves we knew each other? And you knew about this?"

"People forget. Why would you remember something that happened to you when you were four?"

"Yeah sure. I remember things from the time I was three. And, by the way, I as well remember things from where I was fifteen. When the leaves were green. And then they were yellow. All of them. The next fucking day! When I told about it to a priest he told me it must've been a miracle, God's message to me, but it didn't feel like that. It felt _wrong!_ How does that happen?"

Louis stared at him. "How old are you now?"

"Why does that- "

"Just tell me!"

"Twenty."

"Wait a second." Louis had gone all pale when he walked to one of his shelves. He took a journal from there, and quickly riffled through the pages, stopping at some pages. Then he walked to Harry.

"Could it possibly have been from twenty seventh of August to thirteenth of September in 1709?"

Harry eyed the spread of the diary Louis was presenting his. The days Louis had mentioned were written into the top corner of the pages, but there seemed to be pages ripped away between them. "Yeah, it could've, possibly? Why?"

"I write. I write every day. What I did, who I met, what was going on in the world. There are no pages. Someone ripped them off. And I don't remember a single thing!"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Read for yourself."

_27.8.1709:_

_It rained today. Eleanor is yet to be back. We are searching for a place to land and fill our food supplies. It's very cold and the men are all on the edge. Someone is constantly shouting to another. I have no one to talk to. I'm scared._

Harry probably stared at the text for a minute too long, because Louis grunted annoyedly. The thought of Louis as a teenager, as a scared teenager in a ship full of older and more experienced men shouting to him was... weird. Pleasant, in a way, knowing that even the pirate had a past like anyone else but also it made him feel kind of sympathetic. And that wasn't pleasant. Harry moved to the notes on the next page.

_13.9.1709_

_Eleanor came back. I'm sick. Probably just a cold. My head is hurting. I can't write right now._

"Why can't you just ask someone else what happened?"

"It didn't feel important after it. It took a year for me to realize I was missing two weeks, and then most of the people on the ship were... Gone." Louis looked unsure.

"Gone?" Harry asked.

"Killed. Eleanor said she has no idea what happened, and Zayn wasn't there at the time. But now..."

Harry didn't know what he was supposed to do or say. He bit his lip, trying to think what it all could mean. He peeked at the blue journal on Louis' desk, and realized there was something strange.

"Louis Tomlinson?" Harry asked. Louis froze. "Isn't your last name Calder?"

Louis opened his mouth and closed it. Finally he opened it again. "It's Eleanor's."

"Which one?"

"Tomlinson of course, we were dating when i was six - no, Calder." Louis said dryly.

"But - why?"

Louis pressed his eyes closed for a moment, like he was wondering what to tell him, and touched the tips of his hair on his forehead with his fingers. Like he had adjusted them out of his eyes, but really they had stayed just the same. Finally, he said: "I don't want a feared pirate captain being associated with my family."

"Why be a feared pirate captain then?" Harry asked. "You have all this" - he waved his hand around- "why do you need more?"

"Not all of us were born with a silver spoon in our mouths. All this" - he waved his hand around, mocking Harry - "comes from somewhere."

Their conversation was cut off by the dinner bell ringing. Louis looked tightly at Harry.

"You won't say a word about this to my family, understood? I have been kind to you and may not all the stories about seas colored crimson after my visit are true, but there is always a grain of truth in those fairytales. I am able to torture and murder. I don't enjoy it like people claim me to, but I'll do it. Keep that in mind."

Louis was already at the door, when Harry talked, "But after you release me, I can talk?" He knew he was playing with fire, again, but he also knew Louis wasn't stupid enough not to have thought about it. And he still had curiosity in him, curiosity that shouldn't exist in his newly Christian life.

"If my plan goes right, you won't remember this when you would have the change to use this information. Now, after you, Kitten." Louis' tone was enough to let Harry know he shouldn't answer or ask more questions. Shivers run through his spine as he passed the older man. Shivers of fear, he told himself tightly.

  
  


Later that night, Harry heard knocking on his door. He only hesitated for a moment before getting up from his chair and walking to the door.

The only one he thought it could be was Louis, even though he didn't know why would he want to see him. His heart rate picked up every second he hesitated with his hand on the door handle.

When he opened the door, he was surprised. It wasn't Louis, it was his sister Charlotte. She was looking at him with her eyes mixed with determination and fear.

Her eyes were like a summer day, a bit lighter than her brother's, a lot less dangerous and a lot more open.

"Good evening Miss Cal-Tomlinson", Harry said unsurely after a moment of awkward silence.

"You can just call me Lottie, that's what everyone calls me", she said, offering a small smile. "Can I come in?"

"Sure", Harry said, stepping aside still confused. "Do sit down", he said, pointing to the chair next to the window that he had been sitting on.

"No, I'm fine, thank you, Harry - Mr Styles."

Harry probably waited a few beats too long before understanding that in this house formal rules seemed to be just loose guidelines, and that he should let her call him in his first name, too. "Harry, you can - just, you know. Harry."

"Okay, Harry", Lottie said timidly.

"Well, Miss - Lottie, you're here because of any specific reason?" Harry asked, not sure just how formal he should be.

"Yeah, I wanted to, like talk?" she said, almost like a question. "About Louis"

Harry froze for a terrible few seconds, thinking that maybe she knew. But he shook the thought off. She couldn't. Nobody would, he would try to forget it himself and in the meantime pray for a liberation of his sins.

"With me? Why?" he asked instead.

"Because you work with him, and I've gotten the picture that you're his friend? You lot on his ship see him way more than us, his family, and honestly, we're worried. At least, I am. I just though maybe you could tell me how he's doing because he's gotten more and more reserved every time I see him and now I can't even get the basic facts about his life out of him!" she said.

Harry wanted to lift his eyebrows, wanted to laugh or maybe tell her that her dear brother was the feared captain Calder who people whispered about all around England and Mediterranean Sea. That the jewels and riches he brought home with a smile on his face were stolen and killed for.

But somehow, he couldn't do that to her. Even if it might had been the best for her to know, he couldn't.

"Well, um, we're no really that close, you see, those pirates took him because he's the captain and me because I just happened to be on the way, so I don't have much to tell really."

"I'm sure you've got something. Is he happy?"

Was Louis happy? Should he tell the truth? Say yes and tell her to leave? Half truth? What was the truth?

"Um - I think he is - conflicted? Like, I think he does it all for you - his family, and, I really don't know much. I think he wants you to be happy. You happy makes him happy. But no, I don't think he's happy. Not completely." Harry made himself stop. He had no idea what he was saying, just that he couldn't lie to that face. Lottie didn't look surprised.

"I kind of quessed that," she said sighing. "I mean, what could I do? I want him to be happy again. He seems to believe that him working on the navy is the only way to keep us in wealth. What do you know about - about ours - his - past?" Lottie touched her hair exactly like Harry has seen her brother do in stressful situations. She was nervous, for sure, but did that mean Louis was nervous when he did the thing too? Did Louis get nervous earlier today? Or maybe it just didn't mean anything.

And why was Harry thinking about Louis?

"I don't really know much, only that you haven't always lived like this." Harry thought hard what else he knew about the pirate captain. "You're from England - Cheshire - , you moved here with the money he had earned in the navy."

Lottie looked at him, impressed. "You must be really close with him. As you know, he doesn't like talking about him. And he never his navy friends here, only Zayn and him visit us. I've seen his ship once, when we sailed on it from England to here. And sometimes I can't help but wonder, because how did a poor untrained boy become a captain in the royal navy? I'm not questioning his abilities, just, stuff like that doesn't usually happen to people like us."

"Zayn visits here?" Harry asked, trying to avoid her other question. He was almost holding his breath now, scared that any moment she would realise he wasn't Louis' friend but a prisoner.

"Yes, he's like a brother to us. He hasn't told you? Zayn's parents died when he was only two years old, so our parents kind of adopted him. Back then, I mum was expecting me and Mark was still - ," she didn't pause for long, but Harry could see she was going to tell something that meant much to her. He was drinking every word, clinging on them, which almost made him feel bad. "- alive. My and the girls' dad, Louis' stepdad but he still was the only father he knew, and he looked up to him. Even though the sea became his grave, it never prevented Louis from making a career in the navy. Yeah, but. When Mark was there we mostly weren't starving, and sometimes he even bought us nice clothes." She stopped talking, looking away.

"His soul is in a better place now," Harry tried to comfort Lottie. It broke his heart seeing her face so pitiful. "I'm sure he's watching over you from heaven."

She cracked a little smile. "That is a nice thought. Thank you."

"That's what my mum told me when I was little after my granny died and I couldn't stop crying," Harry told her.

"I hope he's watching out for Louis and Zayn too. It's dangerous out there in the sea."

"I'm sure he is," Harry said, but now his words felt empty. He couldn't believe that if Mark - Tomlinson? - had been an honorable sailorman he'd be proud seeing his son growing up to be a pirate. Lottie didn't know that, though, and Harry didn't want to hurt her.

"Why do you think he still always returns to the sea, even though we have enough money now that we could sent him to university and he could become a honored noble man?" she asked, as if she believed Harry had an answer for everything.

"I've heard, people fall in love with it. The sea. And the life - I believe he enjoys the thrill. He doesn't seem like a settling down type of guy." Harry felt weird trying to understand Louis' way of thinking. He had never tried to, and now, now it was all too real. He felt so close to understanding the pirate, and that was the last thing he wanted.

"But you haven't, fallen love with it?" Lottie asked.

The sea was beautiful. Untamed. It could be turquoise and glimmering one moment, like a jewel, and next moment it was storming, controlling, raging and killing ruthlessly. He couldn't say it wasn't tempting, in a way. But it was always the color of Louis' eyes, like Louis was part of it, part of the sea, one wave amongst others.

"No," he said, stressing the word.

"I wish Louis was as open as you", Lottie said. Harry resisted the urge to snort - he just wanted to hear Louis' secret, to see if he could hold them against him some day.

"You should give him time," he said instead. Lottie yawned.

"Talking about time, it must be late already," she said. "We've been talking for quite a while."

"It's already dark outside," Harry agreed. "You should probably leave before someone starts wondering what we are doing here alone together.

Lottie blushed, and took a step towards the door. "Good night, Harry," she said, slipping out of the room.

"Good night, Miss Lottie," Harry answered, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were wondering how I picture Louis' House looks like, google Palácio Nacional de Queluz. But the house in this story is only the main buiding that's in the middle plus small wings on each side. And the Tomlinson villa is much lower. (If anyone knows how to do that link thing please teach me i'd be forever thankful)
> 
> If you want to talk to me, my Twitter is icuddlelixm, and tumblr is theharryandlouisthing. Let's be friends? Also, if you're interested to beta for me come chat on either of those or email me, thrustlarry at hotmail dot com


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's got everything under control and the paradise the Bible promises to him doesn't seem too far away. Louis' got everything under control while building his own paradise on earth. Their worlds crash when Louis' forced by the situation to take Harry hostage on his ship, and suddenly nothing's under control for either of them.
> 
> Or where Louis is a pirate captain searching for a better life and Harry is a religious noble boy who's presumably dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for Elounor. I think that's all, love you all.

The sea was storming. The skies seemed to have opened and the rain was was pouring on Harry, the waves tossing him around. His lungs were filled with water.

He lifted his eyes to the roaming sky, expecting to feel raindrops hit his face, but it wasn't water. Tiny emeralds were sparkling on their way down, falling to the ocean and drowning. And Harry was going to drown with them.

Harry jumped up from his bed, holding his throat that still felt like he couldn't breathe. The nightmare had felt too real.

After he'd calmed down, his own mind started making conclusions he wasn't all that happy about. But he wasn't stupid, and he knew his subconscious had created a dream about the pirate captain with eyes as deep as the sea. Harry touched his forehead. It was wet with sweat.

But then another thought came into his mind. Louis had called him Emerald-Eyes, now he was sure of that, and years later he had named his ship the Emerald. It was... distracting. He told himself there were many other possible reasons to name their ship after the green jewel, but the suspicion just didn't disappear.

The Emerald was a he. Louis refused to follow every single tradition and call his ship a her, a ship named after a feminine jewel, and it was almost childish. As if Louis was clinging on something only he found important, that no one else understood. Louis was kind of childish, sometimes, when he let his tough guy mask drop.

And emeralds didn't float. Who wanted to name their ship after something that didn't float?

If you threw emeralds into the sea, they sunk, just like in Harry's dream. The sea claimed them its own, never letting anyone else have them again. And Louis' eyes were the ocean.

Harry dragged himself out of his bed without a clue of what time it was, and got dressed, treating his borrowed clothes roughly.

He left his room and went downstairs, wanting to get out but knowing it'd be impossible without the acceptance from his kidnapper. He bumped into Johanna, and asked about her son's whereabouts as politely as he could in the stage he was, and following her directions found Louis from the salon. Louis quickly closed his journal when he heard footsteps, and looked to Harry from other side of the room.

"I want to go out. To run," Harry told him demandingly.

Louis eyed him up and down. "I didn't know nobles went jogging."

"They - we don't. I need to go to running right now." Harry wanted to slap the brown haired male, strangle him maybe. Why couldn't he treat him with respect, ever?

"Easy there mate. You can go, but I'm coming with you." Louis lowered his tone. "I don't want to see any more escape attempts from you."

Harry wanted to protest, but he could end up tied to a chair for the rest of the stay at Tomlinson villa, so he shrugged. "Can we leave now?"

"Wait here a second," Louis said, and got up.

When he came back, he had left his journal somewhere but he had a lot of clothes in his arms. "Follow me," he said.

The weather outside was warm, even though the sun had only just rose. Harry was happy he didn't live here - using formal clothes in this sort of temperature was continuous torture. He had started to look like a peasant with his long curly hair and tanned skin, like he belonged to the life on the sea. He hated it. Hated everything.

Louis threw him something which he caught instinctively.

"Put those on. It's nicer to run when you're not wearing millions of layers of clothing," he said, already changing into the cotton shorts shorts and leather ankle boots. He didn't have a shirt on.

Harry eyed them suspiciously. "I can't go around dressed like that in public," he told Louis.

"We're going to the forest. There's nobody there, Kitten, no need to be shy." The left corner of his lips was crooked upwards. Harry wanted to hit him.

"I _am not_ being shy you fucking - " Harry paused because he didn't know what to call the other man. "It's not socially acceptable the wear shit like this and if you weren't born a peasant you would have this kind of things in your veins."

"Sure wear whatever you want, i was just trying to be nice," Louis said, his eyes drifting to the creek they were standing by. He leaned against a big tree, waiting for Harry to make up his mind. Harry took one step closer, looking at Louis with rage filling out of his eyes.

"Stop pretending you don't want me. It messes up your little brains," Louis said. Harry clasped his hands into fists, and caged Louis' against the tree. That made they pirate captain's eyes settle back to him.

"Why do you believe you're still the one in control here? This is one on one now, you don't have weapons or your pirate crew to save you. You're much smaller than me." To make his point clear, Harry stood as straight as he could, reaching at least three inches higher than Louis.

"But you like being controlled," Louis said, stretching his words as if he was enjoying the situation. "I'm sure as hell you'd love to have my cock deep in your ass, that you're having wet dreams about it, that -," He was cut off by Harry's hand pressing against his throat.

"You don't enjoy handing the control away, do you Louis Tomlinson? Or are you just so used to having it all handed to you, all the responsibilities and control, that you can't imagine it any other way anymore?" Harry wasn't the religious and obedient boy he'd been around Louis, at that moment a part of him that had been denied and stepped on was pushing through his guards. His voice was rough and low, and he pressed tightly against Louis.

" _I_ could take _you_ , right now, against this tree and you couldn't fight back, you'd have to just feel _me_." Harry was panting now, just the thought of being able to pull Louis apart with his cock was too much for him to handle. There must've been something magical about the captain, something extraordinary, because no one had made him feel such a huge scale of emotions in his whole life than this man had in twenty one days.

"Is that all you manage?" Louis said, smirking as if Harry's hand wasn't blocking his windpipe.

The time seemed to slow down, Harry unable to move, when Louis kicked Harry just above the ankle, making him stumble. Louis used the few seconds to wrenching Harry's hand from his throat, and grabbing his collar to pull his weight on his toes. Louis slipped his feet between Harry's legs, hooked it while pulling him forwards, pulled the feet back towards himself, and gave the final push with his hands making Harry fall into the ground.

Air escaped Harry's lungs when the creek bank hit his back, Louis falling on top of him simultaneusly.

"Ouchi gari," Louis said smugly. "It's my favourite. Tomoe nage would have been more dramatic but you can't fall proper so you could've gotten seriously hurt." Louis rolled off from on top of him, wrapping his arm under Harry's head, and locking Harry's right arm into his left armpit in kesa-gatame. "So. You were talking about taking me against my will, and I thought we could talk a little more about that one. It was very interesting."

Harry tried to catch his breath. His chest was hurting, but luckily there hadn't been any rock's or other hard subjects under him. Louis was a better fighter than him, that was for sure, but there was something different in him than when he'd seen him in the hangings. Back then, his moves had almost blurred in Harry's eyes when he had escapted certain death.

"You're getting slow," Harry managed to blurt out. "When I saw you for the first time you were moving like you had the devil in you. Now it's just - you're fast and strong. You won with skill."

"That wasn't the first time you saw me." Louis loosened his grip and for a second Harry felt relieved, but then Louis pushed Harry's right arm against his throat, and pressed it down by leaning on it with his shoulder in kata-gatame. Harry couched.

"I thought it was - at the time. Because my memories - what did you do to my memories?"

"I faded them, when I touched you for the first time at the dock. But I couldn't have removed them from such a long period, that kind of magic requires powers and some kind of sacrofice. And I wouldn't remove my own memories. That is, if those things are related. But it would be a huge fucking coincidence if they weren't."

"That's... cool, but if you want to be having this conversation could you maybe let me go? I can't breathe," Harry complained. He hadn't fully registered Louis' words anymore, his brain was fuzzy from the lack of oxygen.

"If you promise to behave, Kitten. I always thought dogs were the hard ones, but you're proven me wrong," Louis said letting Harry go and rolled his shoulders.

Harry rubbed his neck. The muscles were tight and his head was pulsing with pain. He was used to it, mostly, but sometimes he remembered how it had been when the normal state wasn't pain but feeling good.

After getting up Harry hesitated few moments before just deciding to fuck it and undressed without looking at Louis. Surprisingly the pirate turned away, lettting Harry change in privacy.

"I'm ready," Harry told Louis. "You lead, I don't know these woods."

"Don't I always?" Louis asked, walking to a path with Harry following close behind, and then starting to jog. 

The forest wasn't quiet, birds were chirping and leaves of the willows were rustling against each other, but it was still too quiet for Harry. His mind kept wandering to his morning thoughts.

His feet caused subdued thumping noices as they hit the ground, and every time he felt the path against his feet his brain formed a word, replaying a certain phase inside his mind.

Thumb, thumb, thumb. Emeralds. don't. float. Thumb, thumb, thumb.

Harry glanzed at Louis' back. The path was wide enough that they were able to run side to side, but Louis was few steps aside. Harry picked up his pace.

They didn't talk other than when there were crossroads and Lous asked which way they should go, informing how long the run would be with each route.

Harry started getting breathless around few miles, whereas Louis didn't look bothered at all exept all the sweat on his body, but that was mostly caused by the heat.

  
  


When they got back to the pool even Louis seemed to be out of breath. Not terribly, he could've probably ran their seven miles jog twice again without rest, but he wasn't completely unaffected.

Harry on the other hand, was definately affected. He leaned hard against a stone, gasping to get some air, and feeling like he was boiling. He ripped his clothes off not caring about Louis' presence and slipped into the water. Louis followed, placing himself as far from Harry as he could in the little pool.

The lukewarm water made Harry's body slowly return to it's normal temperature as his heartrate slowed down. When he didn't feel like he was dying again he started getting quite proud of himself. He had ran seven miles, and he was alive. He was a captive on a pirate ship, but he had already survived to this point, he had some pover over the most infamous pirate of Britain. He grinned.

  
  


...

  
  


A crack of floor pulled Harry from the land of his dreams. There was a silence, only the sound of longcase clock echoing around the hall, but soon again the cracks started moving away from Harry's room.

Harry's body protested when he tried to get up, but after rolling around he managed to get to his feet, and sneak to the door on his tiptoes. It made his calves burn. He opened the door slightly, trying to see on the dark hallway.

There was a shadow walking towards the stairs. Harry was about to scream about there baing a burglar, when the man's feet knocked on something on the floor, and he cursed silently. The voice definately belonged to Louis.

For a moment Harry debated between going back to sleep and trying to follow Louis, but in the end his curiousity took over.

He pulled his clothes and shoes on quickly, then sneaked out of his room, following Louis outside, to the stables.

Louis woke up a dark brown horse by petting his head and whispering into his ear until he opened his eyes. He didn't saddle him, just walked him outside and hopped onto his back.

Harry didn't even hesistate before following his example, exept he did put bridle on his horse.

It didn't take long to get onto Louis' tracks, and Harry made sure he was far enough so Louis wouldn't notice him. The ride took about fifteen minutes, and Harry tried to memorize everything so he wouldn't get lost on the way back.

When he saw Louis stop, slide down from the horse's back and tie his horse to a tree, he did the same, leaving his horse about twenty feet from Louis', and followed him into a small meadow by feet.

Harry hid in a bush on the edge of the meadow. He tried to breathe as quietly as possible, but his heart rate was picking up.

It seemed Louis was waiting for someone, he looked around searching the woods. Harry noticed a figure sneaking up from behind Louis, and wrapping their hand around his throat.

"I could've killed you," the person said. "Is this what I got you into a samurai school for?"

The person had long wavy hair, and a slim form. It was a girl, the same girl who Harry had seen before, the day he had woken up in Louis' bed. The memory made him grimace.

"You're not like most people, Eleanor. You're more quiet. You have so much more experience than me, so you can't really blame me for not being able to win you with my one year of samurai training," Louis answered, laughing. Eleanor wasn't laughing.

"You've got his smell all over you," she said, still holding her palm loosely around his neck, pressing the rest of her body against his back.

"Whose?" Louis asked, clearly trying to keep his tone airy.

"Your noble pet - Harry Styles," Eleanor almost hissed.

"He's my hostage - the only one from the Emerald who the Black Flash's captain took with me so of course I spend time around him. Of course I smell of him."

"You never smell of Zayn or anyone this strongly even when you're on the Emerald."

"You're - you're not jealous? I'm not even sleeping with him or anything - he fucking hates me. He attacked me yesterday, maybe that's why the smell is so strong."

Harry saw Eleanor's face in the moonlight, and when she changed her tone into amused and airy one he could still see the anger linger on her face when Louis couldn't. It was gone fast, as she turned Louis around to face her.

"He may hate you, but do you hate him?" Eleanor asked, clearly trying to make it come out as a joke.

"Hate is full of passion. I don't feel passion towards him - I don't care about him. He only means money and amusement to me," Louis quicly replied.

In Harry's - who had studied rhetoric - ears Louis' answer was way too long and eloquent. He felt something flutter down his stomach - something he couldn't quite name. He tried to ignore it.

But Eleanor seemed pleased - or maybe it was only what she wanted Louis to see.

"Sorry to grill you like this, I love you so much and we see each other way too rarely," Eleanor said, launching herself into Louis' arms Louis wrapped them around her.

"When this is all over we have plenty of time to be together," Louis said, stroking her hair.

"A forever," she mumbled into Louis' coat.

Harry stared at them, trying to procsess what she had just said. A forever together? A _literal_ forever?

He knew there was something unnatural about Louis, the way he could manipulate memories and the way he had moved at the hangings, but immortality? That was way out of this world and definately could not be from God.

"But first we need to make it out of this shit alive. I was afraid you'd get hurt in that attack in Portugal," Louis said.

"We had predominance at Portugal . All the seeds and plants are destroyed and the people either killed or being questioned. We only lost two of our own," Eleanor said.

"One of them could've been you," Louis pointed out.

"Only one of the ten has died during these hundred years and that was when we were young and untrained. You don't need to worry about me before the last war."

"We still have six canters to go before it."

"Five," Eleanor corrected. "The other center you found from England was real and Char's sending people there. I'm not going. The other one was just someone illegally growing drugs. We'll leave that for the police to handle."

"Drugs? I could've sworn they were growing mortaena with the amont of secrecy they had but I quess that explains it too. I'm off to canary next, the Black Flash crew had some maps and I thought I should check it. If there's nothing, Africa is the second best shot," Louis told.

"I'll go to Africa. You message me if you need me," Eleanor said, tilting her head back.

"I always need you," Louis whispered, letting his lips hower above hers.

"Take the knife, it's on my belt."

The blade of the knife reflected the light of the moon when Louis bought it on Eleanor's neck, and cut gently along the vein. Harry's eyes widened, he didn't unnderstand _why_ , why she didn't try to stop him. The blood was dark, almost black on the moonlight. Before it could start draining on her chest, Louis pressed his lips against the wound and - sucked? Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wanted to look away, but he was frozen.

Eleanor started ripping off Louis' clothes, and when it became clear what they were going to do, Harry finally turned away. It was disgusting, but that may hadn't been the only reason why he couldn't watch. It felt wrong - Louis and Eleanor felt wrong.

The horse was where Harry had left him, picking grass lazily with his teeth. When Harry jumped on the his back he stirred, but couldn't go as fast as Harry wanted him to. 

Something was boiling inside Harry, and he repulsed it. Louis had denied having passionate feelings towards him - and Harry knew it couldn't be true, with the obsession Louis was treating him with. But even if it was, he felt like he had enough passion for both of them. Negative passion, hate, but he had feelings towards the pirate, way too many feelings.

Even when he got back into his bed, he couldn't sleep. He had been lacking sleep way too much to afford staying up, but he kept turning and wriggling in the bed for hours before he got any sleep.

  
  


As Harry was trying to fall asleep, Louis was laying naked under Eleanor at the same meadow where Harry had spied on them. His mind was a haze of Eleanor's hair, lips, body. He didn't remember anything else, and he felt powerful.

"I do believe you're emotionally faithfull to me, love," Eleanor said suddenly.

"Of course. I love you more than anything," Louis answered, smiling. At the moment it was true, Eleanor felt real and everything else felt fake.

"Maybe we should stop sleeping around. I wan't this to be a real relationship. We should be faithfull in every sense of the word."

"This is real for me right now. All the time. But if it is important to you, sure. The people I sleep with, men, women, don't mean anything emotional, just physical release and feel of control. You're the only one I connect with," Louis whispered.

"I do know that. It's just that we can't keep it this way forever, and maybe now is a good time to change," Eleanor answered.

"Okay love," Louis said, drawing hearts into her back. It was bony, and slim, and a flash of other back came to his head, muscular, board. The thought was gone quick.

"Can I ask you one more thing? It's nothing huge, but it would make me feel much better," she asked.

"Anything for you," Louis answered. She smiled.

"I want you to kill Harry Styles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the ending xd  
> If you liked it, comments and kudos are always welcome. Or come chat on my Twitter @surfingljp or tumblr theharryandlouisthing :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's got everything under control and the paradise the Bible promises to him doesn't seem too far away. Louis' got everything under control while building his own paradise on earth. Their worlds crash when Louis' forced by the situation to take Harry hostage on his ship, and suddenly nothing's under control for either of them.
> 
> Or where Louis is a pirate captain searching for a better life and Harry is a religious noble boy who's presumably dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to you all, I know it's a bit late but I can call this a Christmas present to you, right? It's the longest chapter I've ever written, close to 9k how cool is that? And there's a lot of sexual tension heh.
> 
> Oh, and I also got the rest of the chapters planned, if you noticed there'll be 15 chapters of this so don't worry about this fic staying wip forever. I might be slow writer but I'm trustworthty too XD
> 
> Enjoy this chapter :)

Harry was tearing off little pieces of his olive bread, and arranging them into a circle on his plate. He didn't feel like eating, his body was shaking from the lack of sleep, and his head was pounding as if he had a hungover. He didn't usually stay up that late, but this time the outcome was even worse than normally.

He gulped down vomit and thrusted his plate away.

Lottie glanced at him worriedly, but didn't say a word. The code of conduct and all. Louis still hadn't showed up to the breakfast table.

Johanna lifter her head when a servant entered the room.

"Zayn Malik is asking to see you Ma'am, shall I let him in?" he started with a bow, but before he had reached the end of his sentence the black haired pirate had already entered the room. He looked tired, visible bags had appeared under his eyes, but his tight face melted into a smile when Johanna approached him with her arms spread.

"I was so worried - Louis told me he wasn't sure if the pirates had killed anyone before they retreated, I thought what if -" She started crying against Zayn's shoulder, Zayn stroking her back reassuringly.

"Is Louis okay?" Zayn's voice was full of relief and Harry could almost _feel_ the love he had for his adopted brother. This was the Zayn who had whispered sweet words into Liam's ear again, not the one who looked at Harry like he was a piece of trash.

"Yes, yes - Fizzy, dear go and wake up your brother," Johanna ordered, the brunette girl running up the stairs to tell her brother the good news.

Harry sat stiff on his chair while the Tomlinson's all hugged Zayn, and started asking questions about his life. Zayn's answers were all vague, he was clearly avoiding full on lies as much as he could.

After few minutes Louis appeared to the room, his hair looking like a bird's nest and eyes still half closed. He launched himself onto Zayn, pressing him tightly against his chest. The hug was much longer than the others, and Harry thought he heard them murmuring something to each other.

When they let go of each other, Louis headed towards Harry.

"Harry! Didn't notice you there, c'mere mate," Zayn said opening his arms, his the smile on his lips going back to the forced one.

"Hug him. You're supposed to be friends," Louis whispered into Harry's ear, voice cold, without a hint of emotion.

The room blurred and Harry's head spun as he got up. He pressed a mirrored version of Zayn's smile on his lips, and wrapped his arms around the man. His senses were filled with the smell of salt, seaweed, wood, and something musky. It was fresh, and for a minute he could see an image of the Emerald behind his eyelids, for a minute his heartbeat fastened up. He wasn't even sure if it was good of bad, just a memory. He'd be back soon. At least he wouldn't have to pretend anymore.

The hug was short, Zayn pushed him away after their chests barely making contact, but apparently the Tomlinson's weren't able to spot the tension.

...

The Tomlinson's didn't spot the tension even when they all dined together, and to Harry the situation would've been almost amusing - the amount of hatred in the air between him and the pirates going completely unnoticed by the happy family - if he didn't feel like he'd been awake for the previous week instead of the night. Even Louis seemed colder than usual, the small smiles he'd been offering Harry lately were gone. Harry tried to distract himself from the situation by engaging into a conversation about politics with Daniel.

He had forgotten how much he hated politics. Remembering all the times his teacher had hit him on his knuckles with a pointer didn't exactly make it pleasurable, and the conversation was cut short.

Before the dinner him and the pirates had all washed up and changed into fresh clothes. Harry was kind of impressed that Louis' had managed to keep the blue velvet coat hidden from his family through their stay. They were ready to leave as soon as it was acceptable by good manners, even though Louis' sisters complained that they had to leave too soon. They got even more annoyed when Louis told them they couldn't accompany him to the ship, Phoebe and Daysy claiming they would never talk to him again.

Still, when it was time for goodbyes they were all crying, clinging on Louis' sleeves when they still could, as if they were trying to burn the memory of their brother into their minds.

Even Harry felt his eyes tear up at the scene - his personal feelings toward Louis aside, these girls loved and admired their brother more than anything, and every time they got him back it was only to lose him again way too soon. And Harry didn't blame them for loving Louis - he'd started to remember little flashes of their time together when they were kids, and the most concrete memory was Louis' smile, the way it spread to his face and lighted up everything around him.

Louis had been a lovely kid. The world had ruined him, poverty and his father dying, challenges God had placed on his path. But where facing challenges had made Harry religious, they had made Louis grow a thick skin and start treating others like he had been treated before.

Even Job had cursed God in the end. Harry looked away from Louis.

...

The Emerald was anchored in the furthest corner of the port, Luke walking nervous circles in front of it. He froze as Zayn called his name out cheerfully, but melted into a smile as he saw Louis.

He ran to give Louis a hug, even Harry got a pat in the back and a "So glad you're alright mate", and then he ran back to the ship to let everyone know their beloved captain was back in one piece.

Niall was like a blonde comet as he launched himself tight against Louis, but Nora wasn't far away as he pressed Harry against her chest.

"I was so so worried, Niall told me Louis would manage but honestly I-". Her sentence was interrupted by Gemma who joined their group hug, whispering:

"I love you H," and starting crying before she could say anything else. Harry wrapped his arms around both of them, not being able to fight against the tears for long.

The deck was full of happy noises as everybody wanted to hear the story about their escape, but Harry, Gemma and Nora left to the girl's cabin, to have some time with just the three of them. During the last few weeks they all had questioned if they'll ever have that again. Nora was the only one who wasn't sobbing and struggling for air.

"I'm alright," Harry said when they all had started to calm down a little. "Seriously."

"What happened? I was - I was sleeping when I woke up to screaming, it was absolute horror, I didn't know what had happened before Liam told me other pirates had invaded the ship and Calum was wounded very badly and _you and Calder were missing_." Gemma's voice was shaking. Nora nodded along, eyes wide.

Harry told them his story, leaving out the moments between him and Louis. It was long, but no one came to interrupt them even when they left the port. Harry realized he should be thankful for that.

It was already past midnight as he left their cabin. Even though he was tired the thought of going to his smelly cabin wasn't tempting, so he headed up to get some fresh air.

At the deck there was no one except Zayn who was half-asleep against the wheel. Harry walked to the other side of the deck in search of peace.

He climbed on top of the railing, securing his feet under the wooden board. His stomach twitched every time the ship rocked and he had to grip the railing white knuckled for the first five minutes. But, the sea was calm compared to what it had been lately and slowly he started to relax.

The land could still be seen on the port side, but as he looked to the horizon on the starboard side it wasn't hard to understand why the sailors in the past centuries had believed the earth was flat. The ocean seemed to end where it met the sky, it was easy imagine the water surging down from the edge, any ship going near falling into the endless darkness.

When he was little he used to love the stories his nanny read to him - adventures, exotic countries, dragons. Especially the dragons. He had never understood why the princes always killed them to get the princesses, why the princes were always fighting, sometimes against each other. He remembered once asking why it was always a prince and a princess, never a prince and another prince. After the slap that left his ear ringing he never asked again.

Harry swallowed. He had never really dreamed about travelling, knowing it would be impossible, but here he was - he'd already visited Portugal and Spain, spent time with lovely people and been to a local club, he was on his way to the fucking Canary Islands. And he spent his time whining about a pirate captain who treated him a bit strangely.

He didn't know if those thoughts were sinful, but even though the priest had told him to get rid of his books, he didn't think travelling was forbidden. He wasn't a pirate himself, it couldn't matter who he was traveling with.

The ocean created a glowing reflection of the moon. Harry felt his mouth curve into a smile. His situation wasn't so bad, and most of all, he couldn't help what happened but he could affect if he enjoyed it. And he was going to.

He felt secure hands on his waist, as if someone was scared he'd fall over the edge.

"What are you smiling at?" he heard Louis ask.

"I feel like you have a sixth sense because you always appear from nowhere when I'm thinking about you," Harry said, freeing his feet from under the board and dropping back on the deck in front of Louis.

"You're smiling because of me Kitten?" Louis' grin looked forced, and Harry raised his eyebrows.

"No. Because I decided I'm not going to let you ruin this once in a lifetime chance to see the world from me," Harry answered, still smiling wide. His dimples were visible on his cheeks, and Louis raised his hand to brush them with his fingertips.

Harry could see Louis' throat moving as he swallowed around nothing, his breath fastening up a tiny bit.

"I actually did not come here because I can read your mind, it's my turn to guide, I've gotta free Zayn. He's seriously in the need of some sleep," Louis rambled. Harry chuckled.

Louis had to look up at him, his eyes grey in the moonlight. For a second he remembered a time when he had to look up to those same eyes years ago, he leaned closer as he did in the memory. It was gone soon, and when he realized what he was going to do he jumped back.

"I think, yeah, I need some sleep too." His eyes were still wide from horror as he strode away cheeks burning.

  
  


When Harry was out of Louis's sight he finally turned away, heading towards Zayn. He was leaning against the wheel and watching Louis.

"The sleeping beauty has woken up," Louis said, causing Zayn grin sleepily. "You shouldn't risk hurting my boy like that."

"Do you mean the ship, or Harry?" Zayn asked.

Louis stared at him. "I mean my ship."

"What happened? While you two were gone?" Zayn asked.

"Between me and him or within the bigger situation?"

"Both."

"Harry kissed me. I took his memories. I met Eleanor, they won in Portugal, there may be a garden in Canary."

" _He_ kissed _you_? How did that happen? I though he was all fundamental Christian." Zayn raised his eyebrows.

"He is only a Christian when he's sober." Louis shrugged. "He still doesn't like me but we're gettin there."

"Why do you need to be getting anywhere with him? You have a girlfriend," Zayn reminded.

"I know - he's just -" Louis stuttered but Zayn interrupted him.

"He's _Harry Styles_ the boy who gave you waffels when you were starving and took your heart in return _I know the story_ ," Zayn whispered into Louis' ear, making the shorter man push him away. Neither of them was smiling anymore.

"I was _seven_ back then, the feelings I may have had for him in the past don't affect me anymore," Louis hissed back.

"You would have taken a bullet for him."

"I would take a bullet for you too."

"Proves my point. We're basically brothers and you're comparing me to him," Zayn said.

"Why is it my love life we're talking about. You and Liam have matching bite marks on your neck, were you attacked by a lamprey?"

"My love life doesn't dictate our future. If Eleanor knew this noble prisoner means more to you than she God knows what she would do to us."

"I love Eleanor," Louis simply stated.

"You tend to fall for people who save you."

Louis grabbed the hem of Zayn's shirt, and roughly pulled him closer.

"I tend to keep the people who offer shelter for my family," he hissed. "I fell in love with Harry when I was a child but I got over him after he stopped seeing me. I love Eleanor because that is rational. You weren't complaining when I told you we could get an eternal life."

"Still aren't. I'm just stating some facts and asking some questions, but I think I've already gotten my answers. I'm gonna go to my cabin to Liam now, have sex with him and not feel quilt because neither of us are in a shitty situation where our lives depend on us loving a maniac." Zayn smiled at him. "Good night."

...

The next day felt like a haze. Harry had gotten used to spending all his time with the captain, but now he barely saw him. He wanted to feel relieved, but it just felt strange, as if the captain was avoiding  _him_ for change.

Some way Nora had managed to share all her tasks with Niall and Gemma was working on the other side of the ship, and Harry felt alone. He wanted to go for a run in the Portuguese forest but of course he could not tell it to anyone. Gemma wouldn't understand if he was anything but happy being back under her protection again.

  
  


The rocking and rustling of the ship were distracting Harry from sleep. He was tired, wanted to close his eyes and face into the dark, but his mind was running overdrive. The picture of the blue eyed pirate captain stayed behind his eyelids.

He stood up, quietly pulled on his boots and clothes and tiptoed out of the room, Ashton's gentle snoring not pausing for a minute.

The door to Nora's and Gemma's cabin was locked, and when he was standing there facing the door he felt stupid. He didn't knock, not wanting to prevent them from getting some sleep, not knowing what he would say if they did open the door.

He made the decision about his destination before he could admit it to himself, and found himself standing behind Louis' door. He didn't care about Louis's sleep so he knocked before he would start regretting what he was going to do.

It felt worth everything the moment he saw the look of utter surprice on Louis' face. Harry smiled at him and leaned to the door frame.

"What's up with you?" Louis asked rubbing his eyes. His hair was a mess and his coat was gone, the first few buttons of his shirt open. He clearly hadn't been expecting anyone, and for some reason it made Harry feel smug.

"Tell me about that summer we spent together," Harry said. "And if you're feeling honest you could also tell me about the night you stole my memories. We didn't-". He had been trying his best to stay confident but just the though of the last time he got drunk with Louis nearby made him stumble over words.

"We didn't fuck if that's what you're asking," Louis told him, but before he could sigh in relief a smirk creeped on Louis' face. "You did kiss me though. You pushed your tongue in my mouth and bit my lip. You're a sloppy kisser."

"I'm great kisser when I'm sober," was the first thing Harry found himself saying. "I mean-". He didn't know what he meant.

Louis walked to his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled out a familiar blue journal and laid it down on a chair.

"I guess you have the same rights to it as I do," Louis said as he sat in front of his desk. "I recommed reading the last page."

Harry did as he was told, and was met with steady, curved writing, done with black ink.

  
  


_ they said I should fall for a lady in a silky dress _

_ no, not fall - accept my fate _

_ but it was already too late, your stormy blue eyes had pierced my world _

_ and I could not look away _

_ not then, not now _

_ I'm yours _

  
  


Harry felt his stomach drop while looking at the letters. It wasn't a slow realization - it hit him like a wave, a wave consisting of all the water in the Atlantic ocean. Louis was looking at him, only in need of a confirmation for someting he already knew.

"It's my writing," Harry said silently. It was not from the same time period than the stick drawings of him and Louis and cats and sunshines. He had no memory of writing the poem, so it had to be from those two weeks neither of them remembered.

Louis nodded stiffly.

_ We spent two weeks together. We were in love. At least I was in love with him. Something took out memories. Someone ripped Louis' journal but didn't know about this one, _ Harry thought, but couldn't say it out loud. Louis didn't either.

"Only wizards and some vampires can take memories," Louis said after a while. "That delimits many out."

"Which one are you?" Harry asked, his voice higher than normal.

"Neither. I have vampire blood in me so I can smudge memories a little, and heal some broken bones. But I am a human," Louis answered, not looking at Harry.

"Eleanor is a vampire," Harry realized. "Isn't she?"

"Yeah."

Their conversation was full of pauses, both of them needed time to considering what to ask, what to tell, what to say out loud.

"How does one..." Harry didn't know how to finish.

"Change?" Harry nodded. "The legend about changing the blood is true. But you also need a spell. Vampires are a species created by wizards - most of those wizards are vampires themselves nowdays."

"Do the others know that you're dating a creature of Hell," Harry asked, his eyes still fixed on the writing in the journal in his lap.

"Zayn does. And Eleanor isn't - being a vampire doesnt mean you turn evil."

"Killing is evil."

"You don't need to kill. Like I said, it's a wizard thing. You don't need that much blood, vampires mostly eat normal food."

"You sell your soul to Satan."

"We don't agree on that. You're so close minded."

"I honor God's orders."

"Fifteen years old you wrote a poem about being in love with a man."

"Fifteen years old me was not a faithful christian. Besides, you can't prove I wrote it. You could have faken it. Or I could've been drugged or under some sort of ' _spell'_ " he drew quotes in the air as if he was mocking what Louis said earlier. "-while I wrote it." Harry almost spat the words out of his mouth.

"Do you really think it's likely?" Louis asked.

It was silent for a few minutes before Harry lifted his eyes to meet Louis', and answered: "No."

"I'm tired," he said after Louis said nothing. He got up leaving the blue journal on the bed and walked to the door.

"Good night," Louis said.

"Good night," Harry answered and left.

...

Harry was staring at Nora with his mouth gaping, the brush he was supposed to lacquer the ship's rail had almost fallen to the sea.

"What do you think," Nora said grinning, and spinned around.

"You look like a boy," Harry said, scrunching his nose. "What will your mother say?"

Nora rubbed her short hair that looked almost white in the bright sunlight. Her skin had gotten a shade darker since they left, and tiny freckles had bloomed on her nose and cheeks.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going home anymore," Nora said. Harry placed the brush and can down and took a step towards Nora. His tthigh was aching, and he had to rub it few times before he could lean on it.

"I think her hair looks good since I cut it," Calum said. Harry ignored him.

"Do you realize that if you join a pirate ship the law says you will be sentenced to death without a trial," he hissed as he pulled her away from Calum.

"Yes, I do, but do you realize if I work as Gemma's maid forever I will end up dying without a purpose," she hit back. Nora pulled away from his grasp, and started walking away.

Harry stared at her back, the picture almost blurred until he saw another pair of hands pull out for her. She stopped, Louis seemed to be saying something to her. She smiled. They left Harry's sight, and he was going to follow them until Calum stopped her.

"She's not your property. She was proud of her new hair, you shouldn't have said what you did," he said.

"Dont pretend you know her better than me," Harry snapped.

"I'm not. But maybe I - and Niall and the others - are just trying to understand her more than you do, and in the end it doesn't matter you know her when she was in her diapers," Calum said. "Don't you want her happy?"

"I don't want her dead," Harry said.

...

Nora shouln't hang out with pirates. Nora was like his little sister. She was too immature to take care of herself, that's why Harry and Gemma needed to look after him. Harry was mature enough to have conversations with pirates without getting involved. Gemma didn't need to know, that's why he hadn't told her. I wasn't because he knew knocking on Louis' door in the middle of the night was just as immature as Nora's whims.

This time Louis didn't look sleepy, perhaps because it was earlier than it had been yesterday, perhaps because he had been waiting for Harry.

"Come in," he simply said. Harry grabbed his collar and thrusted him backwards, shutting the door behind him.

"What the fuck," Louis asked as Harry pressed his shoulder against his chest with force, trying to make him fall. Harry gripped Louis' shoulder harder.

Louis slipped his feet behind Harry's, making them fall the other way and land on the bed. Louis was still so confused about Harry's attach that the other boy had time to climb on top af him, sitting with his legs on Louis' both sides. Louis didn't throw him off yet.

Harry grabbed Louis' wirsts and pinned them to the bed, looking at the picture proudly. Louis raised his eyebrows at the panting figure.

Harry let Louis' other wrist free to bring his own hand to Louis' face. He didn't hit or scratch, just traced his nail along Louis' cheekbone. It sent shivers through Louis' body. He grabbed the arm on his face and pulled them around so he was on top.

"What did you talk about with Nora?" Harry asked. He was squirming and kicking under Louis, but clearly not using all his strenght to get away, as if he didn't mind that much.

"What are you doing," Louis asked, having in turn pinned Harry's wrists to the sheets.

"I had spare adrenalin," Harry aswered. Louis felt warm on top of him. The whole room was warm. Louis' croch was so close to his own - he felt his cheeks redden.

"You're enjoying this," Louis suddenly realised. Harry's hair was a mess of shiny dark curls, cheeks pink and lips slightly parted. He felt his own heartbeat picking up.

"I am not!" Harry said. His pupils were wide.

Louis let Harry's hands free and slid down on Harry's body until he was sitting on his legs. He cupped his hand over the outline of Harry's dick. Harry sat up so fast that his head spun for a moment.

"You've got a semi," Louis said grinning. "I can't believe you get off to fighting, that's-"

"Shut up," Harry said and pulled away. Louis let him. "I want to know what you talked about with Nora."

"It's not your business what I talked about with her," Louis said. "But we did talk about you. Among other things."

"Then it is my business," Harry said. He wanted to lean forwards and grab Louis again, needed to touch whether it was by hitting him or kissing him. He didn't reach out.

"She told me she doesn't have any blank spots from the year 1709, and that she doesn't remember you leaving anywhere that year. She does remember you getting terribly sick that autumm. She thinks you might have been quite happy the time before you got sick. She doesn't remember anyone unfamiliar," Louis said finally.

"Didn't she find your questions strange," Harry asked, trying to make the subject of his illness forgotten.

"I question if she even noticed I was asking any. Like i've said before, I'm very good at what I do," Louis answered.

"And what's that exactly?" Harry asked.

"I'm Eleanor's spy. Or not hers, properly speaking, but you really don't need to know more," Louis said suddenly serious. "And I do a little bit of piracy on the side to keep people on their line."

"Or to boost your own ego?" Harry said. Louis shrugged sheepishly.

"But you can take memories, right?" Harry asked, knowing that nothing interesting would come from the previous conversation.

"Yes," Louis said.

"Then can you also give them back?" Harry asked. Louis started laughing.

"Don't you think that if I could I would have given me my own memories back years ago?" he said mockinly. Harry shook his head.

"I mean the memories you took from me."

"Oh. I don't know, maybe. Why, do you need the memories about our kiss to your wank bank?"

"Masturbating is a sin," Harry said, looking so serious that Louis started giggling again.

"No wonder you get horny so easily," he said. "No masturbating, no sex, no alcohol - are you a masochist? Is it some sort of kink?"

"You can't hold hands with God when you're masturbating," Harry repeated. Louis lost it. He fell onto his back and started rolling around in laughter.

"But we've got two hands," he giggled. Harry wanted to climb back onto him. Feel his warm, tanned skin pressed against his.

"Can you give me my memories back please," he said. He was frustated with Louis, frustated with his childishness and tempting presence.

"I can try," Louis said when he got himself together and sat up again. His hair was like a bird's nest. Harry wanted to smooth it. "But using my" he hesitated for a minute "special powers is terribly tiring and I need you to leave my cabin as soon as I'm done. If, that is, I get anything done. Okay?"

Harry nodded. Louis took a water bottle from his night stand, and sprinkled in something green. He offered it to Harry.

"What was that?" Harry asked suspiciouly, remembering what had happened the last time when there were unnamed herbs and Louis involved.

"It'll make my job easier I hope. I promise you, it's nothing strong," Louis reassured. Harry took the bottle.

"You could be trying to drug me."

"Have you forgotten whose captive you are, Kitten? I could drug you any time I wanted, it's not a greater risk to drink that than to drink anything on this ship."

Harry could't argue with that, so he raised the bottle and took a sip. The drink tasted exactly like what it was, lukewarm water. After Louis had drunk the rest of the liquid he placed his hand on Harry's forehead, told Harry to close his eyes and closed his own too.

"Relax," Louis said, having lowered his voice to a whisper.

"You remember it, we were having a fight with the captain of the ship, I took you to the rum storage..." Louis kept talking, and slowly pictures of random events started popping in his head, not in any particular order. After a while Louis started talking about their childhood, and Harry felt like he had drifted onto some dream-like state.

There was a windy beach and Louis hair was everywhere on his face. A crowded town market, the smell of waffles. The forest, taste of berries in his mouth, Louis' face was red and giggly from eating the same berries. The memories blew up, Harry's head started aching, Louis' hand fell of his forehead. They were both panting.

Harry felt Louis fall on the bed next to him, his own head felt like it was full of needles. He didn't even think about anything before he had already blanked out.

  
  


Louis looked gray, he was sweaty and when Harry touched him he was cold. Harry rubbed his own eyes, moved aside on the bed and adjusted Louis into a better position. He pulled the covers over him, feeling momentarily protective over the porseline like pirate captain. He didn't like seeing him like this. His head felt dizzy.

Somehow, he still managed to get to the kitchen and back. He left biscuits and some water on Louis' nightstand before he returned his own bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

  
  


When he woke up again he felt a lot better, and lying on his bed he started organizing the memories he'd gotten. There was still some haze from the day on the rum storage, but it was due to the alcohol they'd drank. He could remember Louis' lips gently biting on his, almost feel them. He remembered Louis talking about his eyes, and could now connect it to a memory from years ago.

_ He'd been out on the market with his nanny, who had bought him waffles with whipped cream and jam. He'd almost taken the first bite when he'd seen a pair of sad blue eyes looking longingly at his food. He had walked to the boy, offered him the waffles and smiled. The boy had been shocked, then happy. His smile had been brighter than the sun that day, Harry remembers thinking. _

_ "Thanks for the waffles, Emerald-eyes,” the boy had said. Harry had disappeared with him, when he came back his nanny had been sick from worry. He'd apologised, but kept on sneaking out with the boy. He had always been so hungry, way too thin, and Harry had brought him bread and meat and cheese and everything he could nick from the castle's kitchen. _

_ Harry had loved going on adventures with his boy, had planned in his child's mind that he'd ask if Louis and his family could come live with them. He taught the boy to read, the boy taught him to climb trees and find eatable berries. He had planned that they would grow up together, Louis would get a similar horse as the foal that was being trained for Harry. _

_ But when his parents found out about where he'd been running off to, they didn't react like Harry had planned. They put Harry into a house arrest, every second somene was watching him so he wouldn't see the peasant again. Harry told them Louis needed food to survive. They told they couldn't help every single peasant in the town. _

Harry wiped off the tear that had escaped his eye. There were still strange holes and blurr that didn't feel like it was just due to the years that had passed, but he could remember so much now. He could remember what Louis had once meant to him, and for some reason it made him understand the pirate a little better. If Louis had felt the same amont of childish love for him than he felt for Louis, it must've been hard to place. Especially when he had so many strings on his hands, so many facades to keep. Suddenly Harry felt pity for Louis.

After getting dressed and eating breakfast Harry should've gone to help Nora clean the storages, but he needed to see Louis' face. He found him from the deck, chatting with Zayn and Niall. He straightened his posture, knowing well he was taller than any of the pirates, and slipped into their circle. Zayn shot a dirty glare at him, but Niall smiled.

"I think our course is too much to the west, we should -," Zayn was saying when Harry interrupted them.

"Morning Louis," he said. "You seem better. Are you all right?"

All the three pirates stared at him unblinkingly. Then Zayn slowly turned his head to Louis, and they shared a look that Harry didn't understand.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks. Aren't you supposed to be cleaning the storages?" Louis asked cocking his eyebrows.

"In a moment. I wanted to talk with you first," he said. Louis nodded, grabbed Harry's bicep and walked them out of the earshot. Harry tried to hide his grin from Louis as he looked at Zayn's and Niall's shocked expressions.

"Admit it. You did that mostly to show them you have power over me, that you have climbed the unofficial rank of this ship," Louis said leaning towards the rail. He had bags under his eyes and he was pale but other than that he looked normal. 

"Have I?" Harry asked with one corner of his mouth twisted up.

"It was a smart move," Louis said. Harry hadn't been expecting that.

"I - thank you. I though you'd be mad."

Louis shook his head. "Did you have something to tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you that I remember now. It worked," Harry said quietly. It was private to him, he didn't want anyone but Louis to hear, and maybe only one side of Louis, too. "I remember holding your hands in mine when you were cold. Your hands were big. They're so small now." Harry went to reach for Louis' hand, but drew out on the last minute. Louis placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"You gave me mittens. I used them untill they fell apart," Louis told him. Harry's heart fastened. Louis' fingertips were almost touching the bare skin of his neck.

"It was a rainy summer."

Louis nodded. Harry rolled his shoulder, it was aching from all the physical exercise he'd been doing on the ship.

"You feel tense," Louis said. "Is your back hurting?"

"A little," Harry lied.

"Would you, um" Louis stuttered. "I could give you a massage? Is that a sin? Massages?"

His body wanted to say yes, immediately, a hundred times over, but his mind was left thinking about Louis' words. The bible didn't mention massages. Would be a bit strange if it did, but were massages accociated with something that could be a sin? Did it affect the situation that Louis was a pirate? Or that they'd had sexual tension before? Sexual tension between two men was definately a sin.

"Okay. Thank you," Harry found himself saying. "I can return the favour if you'd like?"

"I would like. It." Louis chuckled, their conversation was as if they were trying to forget the past weeks and start over again. Louis wasn't sure how he should've felt about it. But he felt good. "See you in my cabin at nine-ish Eme-Kitten." Louis looked abashed for a second before continuing. "Work hard to deserve the reward."

"Yeah, see you," Harry said, and walked away his cheeks burning from the nickname. It was used in such weird concept and Harry needed time alone. He hoped Nora wouldn't mind his quietness.

...

Harry wasn't quite sure why he had borrowed Ashton's comb and sorted the knots in his hair. His hair was still dirty, and it wasn't like he wanted to impress someone. Especially not Louis.

The captain opened the door even before Harry could knock. Harry stepped in.

"Not trying to kill me this time?" Louis asked, crossing his arms and smirking.

"If I had been trying to kill you the last time I could've stolen a gun from the armory and shot you. I wouldn't have attacked you unarmed like that," Harry answered, leaning his bum on Louis' desk.

"So it was just sexual," Louis said.

"Are you saying all bursts of frustation are sexual if you're not aiming to kill someone?" Harry asked.

"Maybe." Louis chuckled. "I would make a great therapist."

"I highly doubt that," Harry said, but he couldn't help a smile creeping on his lips.

"We're bantering as if we were mates," Louis said. "But what are we? Do you still despise me?"

Harry pressed air slowly out between his teeth. He tried to convince himself that getting his memories back had only confused him, but they had changed his attitudes towards the pirate captain a little. It was hard hating someone while you remembered wanting to save them.

He shrugged. Then gulped, making the decision. "Your profession and lifestyle disgusts me, and I don't like the way you've been treating me. But I believe if things had been different for you in life you would've been a nice guy. We could've been friends I guess."

"I I was born under the right stars, maybe lived in a villa next to yours. We could've ridden fancy horses and been each other's bestmans when the time had came." He nodded his head slowly. "Is that what you mean?"

Harry turned his head down. "Look, I understand not everyone is born into wealth like me but there are different ways to overcome poverty than becoming a criminal. Like-" he stopped, because nothing crossed his mind at the moment.

"Would you mind if I told you a story?" Louis asked. Harry shook his head. "Sit down," Louis said and Harry obeyed.

"On my twelfth birthday, which also happens to be Christmas Eve, Fizzy kept on asking mum when would daddy be home. Eventually she screamed that he'd never return home again, that he was sharkfood now. We had no money, no food and mum had six hungry mouths to feed.

"Mum started working as a laundress, we sold our house and moved into a little cottage near the woods. We were starving, and you weren't there to save us that time. When you had given me the waffels I was starving because I used the money meant for food to buy mum medicines, but when Zayn got a lung infection we had nothing to spare from. I didn't want to bury him next to his family.

"No one wanted a thirteen years old, underfed peasant to work for them. Stealing that man's golden pocket watch wasn't hard. Zayn healed with the medicines I bought him. I told mum I'd gotten a job, used the money bit by bit so it wouldn't make her suspicious. Zayn found the money, I told him, he understood. I kept stealing until I got an enlistment on a merchant ship. Zayn stayed home to look after them.

"I worked on the ship for two weeks before pirates attacked us and took me as a slave. I practised handling guns and knives whenever I managed to be alone and got beaten up more often than not. I-" Louis stopped when he heard quiet sobs, and looked up to Harry. There were tears rolling down his cheeks, and his shoulders were shaking. Harry looked at him when he realized the pause had been too long.

"Why're you crying?" Louis asked. Harry tried to rub off the tears streaming down his face.

"I never - I never thought about it like that," Harry said, looking embarrassed. "I just - I guess I just expected that you - I don't like the fact that you went through all that. It's unfair, I'm sorry I-"

"Don't say you're sorry. My life has turned out quite okay because I never gave up. I don't want your _pity_ , I want to break your bubble about a world where a fair God gives everyone as much as they need or deserve."

"You already did," Harry muttered.

"Do you want me to continue or was that enough?" Louis asked.

"I w-want to hear the rest," Harry said, trying to contain the sobs.

"Okay, well, I managed to escape the pirate ship. I was alone in a port-town ran by pirates. I learnt to fight and steal and lie. Women asked for money and men offered it to me in return of sex, but I didn't do either. I met Eleanor. She disquised herself as a man and we signed on a pirate ship. They were just as bad as my previous one, exept that I wasn't a slave and Eleanor could beat anybody on a fight. She told me a lot, asked for a lot, and left the ship leaving me a way to communicate with her. Then I don't remember. Then she was back, I was sick.

"She let me take Zayn with us when she sent me to a samurai school in Japan. We were there for a year before she came to take us away. We signed back to the ship I had been on as a slave, revolted with just the three of us and the current slaves. I killed the captain, looked him into the eyes as life was sucked out of him. We saved some of the crew, some didn't. I renovated the ship, Starfish became The Emerald and the rest is history.

"Later, I crossed paths with the other pirate ship I'd been working on, and it didn't end up well. For them."

The only sound in the room was Harry's quiet sobs. Then, to Louis' utter surprise Harry got up, walked to him and wrapped his arms around him.

"And with that money from the pirates you bought your family a villa in Spain, away from the old memories and people but close enough so you could visit them once a while, right?" Harry whispered in his ear.

"Yeah," Louis simply answered. He was tense on the hug for the first moments, but after a while he wrapped his arms aroud Harry too. "I did."

Louis' hair felt soft against Harry's face. He pressed his lips to the other man's head, pressing him closer to his chest. For the first time he felt deep affection while being that close to Louis instead of the raw mixture of hate and arousment.

"Do you still want the massage?" Louis asked as he gently pushed Harry away.

"Yes, I - do I need to remove my shirt or-" his face flushed, but Louis ignored it.

Louis shrugged. "If you want to. It will be easier if you do but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. If it's some sort of sin then don't."

"I don't know if it's a sin," Harry said quietly. "And I don't exactly have a priest here telling me the right answer."

"You have read the bible though, right?" Louis asked.

"There is nothing about massages in the bible," Harry explained.

"So how could it be a sin then?" Louis asked.

"If I've misintepreted something?"

"I thought you can't inteprete the bible, it's all exactly what it says?"

"Yeah but I may be," Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Too stupid."

"Clearly," Louis muttered. "By the way, does the bible really state that two men shouldn't be in a relationship?"

" _ 'If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them', _ " Harry quoted, hanging his shirt on a chair. Standing there shirtless and with dark curls framing his face he looked like the definition of sin to Louis. He didn't say it out loud.

"That sounds disgusting. I'm gonna have to read that fucking book to make any sense of it. Lie down on your stomach if you want the massage today."

Louis' hands were warm. His touch was gentle, barely there at first as he lightly rolled Harry's aching muscles, harnening his pressure as Harry's muscles started getting warm.

Harry wanted to moan in pleasure. "You're good at this," he said instead.

"My mum's back used to always hurt due to her work so I gave a lot of massages. And thanks," Louis answered.

The sound of raindrops could be heard on the outside, and Harry felt thankful for being in Louis' warm and homey cabin. His and Ashton's was just fine but the insulations weren't the best and it got cold sometimes. Louis was sitting on Harry's bum, and he couldn't help noticing that he had a semi pressing against his body. He wanted to forget about it and concentrate on Louis' hands on his back, but his body couldn't not react to the older man's touch and he felt himself growing hard too. He wasn't looking forward to turning around when Louis would notice his hard-on.

For some unexplainable reason the situation felt familiar to Harry, as if his body remembered something about Louis that his mind didn't. He didn't let his thoughts go further.

  
  


He still felt sleepy, relaxed and slightly aroused when he stepped out of Louis' cabin two hours later. His hands smelt like peppermint because of the massage oil they had been using. Louis' back had been full of tiny scars and Harry had felt a burst of rage towards the people who had done that to him. He didn't know what had gotten into him, he told himself it was just the fact that he had wanted to protect Louis when he was little, and seeing the scars woke the same instingt inside of him.

The cold rain hit him on the face as he opened the door that would lead him to the deck, and he had to close the door again to prepare for it. The second time was just as unpleasing as the first, and so was the thrid.

Harry turned on his heels before he would chicken out, walked back to Louis' door and knocked with his heart trying to race out of his chest. Louis opened the door, confusion written all over his face.

"Did you forget...?" Louis asked.

"Can I sleep with you? I mean lay, on the bed, unconcious not - you know. It's cold and dark outside and I don't want to sleep alone," he said quickly. Louis' mouth dropped open.

"You - I mean I did invite you once - twice - so welcome and all but did you forget I only have one? We'd have to - we'd have to sleep pretty close and I'm. I'm already turned on and so are you and-". Harry had stopped listening to him rambling and pushed past him into the room. Harry threw his shoes and shorts to the corner of the room and climbed to the bed on his underwear.

"Thanks," he said, closing his eyes. It took Louis a while to adjust to the picture and another to change into his nightwear and when he slipped under the covers next to Harry the other boy was already asleep.

...

"Don't touch him," Louis hissed, his arms tightly around Harry's torso like a straightjacket. "I'll kill you - I swear."

Harry wanted to rub his eyes but his hands were locked against his sides in Louis' hold. He wasn't sure if it had been the talking or the tight press of Louis' arms that had woken him up, but both were preventing him from falling back asleep.

"Don't you-" now Louis was literally growling, and Harry had never heard human make such noise. Harry didn't dare to move in fear of Louis biting or scratching him or worse, so he just lied there listenng to the other man's angry mumbling in his sleep.

"I don't care... I'll end you, Eleanor, if you hurt him."

Harry felt his eyes open. The captain had just threatened to kill his girlfriend, who was apparently planning to kill someone in his sleep. Louis didn't say any names again, and after a while he relaxed and stopped talking. Harry fell asleep almost immediately after.

...

Someone banging the door woke both Harry and Louis up, and Louis got up to change his clothes.

"Just a moment!" Louis shouted to the door. Harry pulled his pants on and was tying his left shoe when Louis opened the door revealing a distressed Gemma. Her worried expression turned into one of disbelied and then anger when she spotted Harry sitting on the edge of Louis' bed.

"What did you do to my brother," Gemma shouted, showing Louis' chest forcefully with her fist. Harry jumped up, and had to grab the wall for stability.

"Louis didn't do anything to me, we were just talking," Harry said calmingly, making Gemma turn to him. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of Louis' cabin.

"Hey!" Harry protested, yanking his hand but not succeeding.

"I don't want you anywhere near that criminal!" Gemma screamed and kept pulling him towards her cabin.

"I'm an adult I can take care of myself-"

"You can't fucking take care of yourself with that sickness!"

"Don't - I don't want anyone to hear-"

"You think I give a shit about that? Only thing I want is get me, you and Nora out of this ship alive but you two are making it very hard for me!"

"Don't compare me to Nora," Harry hissed. "She has unofficially joined the fucking crew and is doing God knows what with Niall when I'm just trying to sort my fucking head out!"

"By letting the captain use you as a sex toy sounds fucking great way _'to sort your head' out_ to me!"

"I was drunk that one time - you promised you wouldn't talk about it!" Harry took a step towards Gemma raising his hand towards her, then realized what he was about to do and backed until his back hit the door.

"I'm trying to say that maybe Louis Calder isn't the best person to sort your head out with!" she screamed. "I'm here for you if you just ask!"

"Maybe some things I can't discuss with you!" Harry shot back.

"Maybe those things shouldn't be discussed at all! The only thing Calder wants from you is your body and I don't want that happening to you."

"You don't know a shit about Louis," Harry screamed pushing out of the door. "And he's not a Calder." He slammed the door shut and ran to his cabin with tears rolling out of his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on my Twitter @surfingljp or my tumblr theharryandlouisthing. I abslutely love hearing all of your comments, even if you just comment that I should updade soon XD
> 
> And if you would like to beta for me please message me on some of my social media or comment askingmy email. Love you all, till the next time :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again it took so long, schoolwork and all that is taking way too much time for my liking. I promise I haven't given up this story though! Also I just realized I've been writing this for over two years now. That's quite a long time. Well, hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

Even without all his clothes, Harry was still sweating. It could've been because it was a particularly hot day, but maybe it was because Louis was naked too, and staring at him with his hands behind his head.

Harry kissed Louis' chest, gently bit on his nipples until they were hard, nibbled at his skinny stomach, moving down until he felt a brush of hair against his chin. He looked down, seeing the way Louis' abs jumped when he tickled him with his lips.

"I sure hope you locked the door," Harry said procseeding to look up and wink to Louis who was laughing. He took the tip of Louis' cock in his mouth, pushed his head down-

Harry hit his forehead on the bottom of Ashton's bunk when he sat up quickly.

"For fuck's sake," he said, rubbing his forehead. There would be a bumb soon. _"Our father, which art in Heaven..."_

...

Avoiding the pirates when he'd first came to the ship had been hard, but avoiding everyone was even harder. Every time Gemma tried talking to him he suddenly remembered something urgent he was supposed to do, and when Louis came to 'see how he progressing in peeling the potatoes' he told him he really needed to use the bathroom. He didn't want to talk to either one of them, he wanted a break to discuss with a priest, God or himself from two months ago.

"I'm knackered," he told Ashton so he wouldn't have to chat, but stayed up reading the Bible until his candle burned out.

Next morning, he woke up with Louis' name on his lips just like the other one. Instead of eating breakfast with others he ate while he worked. Unfortunately it only made Louis interested and it didn't take long until he found him.

"You are suddenly awfully uncooperative, Kitten," the captain said and grabbed his wrist so he couldn't escape.

"I'm doing my part for the ship," Harry said, trying to wrestle his hand out of Louis' grasp. Louis' hand was warm, dry and small, yet he managed to hold him with such force.

"You haven't spoken to me since the massage," Louis said. "Did I offend you some way?" He stepped closer, and Harry smelled sea, tar and English forests.

"You did not," Harry said with a sigh. "I offend myself on daily bases."

"That's unhealthy," Louis said. His lips were the color of raspberries, and Harry couldn't help wondering if they would taste like them too. In his dreams Louis always took the initative, leaned closer first, but now he just stood in front of him, oblivious to Harry's inner struggle.

"I," Harry bit his bottom lip. "I need to talk about something with you. Can we go somewhere more private?"

Louis raised his eyebrows but lead Harry out to the deck and then down the stairs.

When they reached Louis cabin Harry locked the door and pushed Louis towards his bed.

"What are you doing?" Louis asked, having fallen backwards due to not being cautious.

"I keep having dreams about you," Harry panted, pressing his palms against Louis' hips. "And your skin and lips and it's really fucking unfair."

He pressed his face against Louis' croch and nibbled at his thighs though the thick fabrick of his trousers, trying to open the buttons with his hands.

"Who the fuck are you?" Louis asked, sounding somewhere between turned on and freaked out.

" _'If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them,_ Levictus 20:13," Harry mumbled.

"That does not turn me on, Kitten, but now I'm starting to believe it indeed is you. Are you drunk?"

Harry looked up at him and smirked, so Louis pulled him up from his collar till they were face to face. "You don't smell of alcohol," he said.

"I'm perfectly sober. It's just - the Bible says we can't," he pressed his lips together for a few seconds, "have sex. But I can blow you, right? And-" He pressed his lips against Louis' whose eyes widened in surprise until he took control of the situation and kissed Harry back. "-kiss you."

"You are a strange boy," Louis said, pulling Harry down on top of him. He kissed him with his mouth open, hands grasping onto Harry's hair and lower back. Harry pressed his palms forcefully against Louis' shoulders, as if he was trying to push him through the bed. He ground his hips against the other man, moaning as he felt his growing erection against his own.

He slid down on Louis' body, pulling down the pants he had already opened. Louis pressed two fingers against his neck.

"Your heart is going crazy," he said. "And your hands are shaking."

Harry bit Louis' fingers. "Who said you could speak," he said with a low voice that was getting close to a growl.

"Easy, Tiger," Louis said, making Harry smirk at the new pet name.

He squeezed Louis through his pants and peeled them off without letting himself pause to think. He wanted the pirate so much his vision had started to turn red, every inch of Louis' golden skin invited him to kiss, touch, bite.

He curled his fingers around Louis, making the other man throw his head back.

It wasn't so much the physical effect but the fact that it was Harry, the man he had watched and lusted after, even loved at a time, believing he'd never have a chance with him. Louis knew this could be the only time he'd feel those hands on him, and it sent sparks of fire throught his body. He didn't remember when he'd last felt like that during sex. 

Harry licked the tip of Louis' cock, and shortly after he took the whole head in his mouth. He sucked gently for a while before he started to sink down. Louis groaned.

Louis felt silky against his tongue, he was sliding deeper towards the back of his throat. It was anchoring, in a way, having Louis' pleasure under his control like that. The first time the tip hit the ring of muscles on the back of his throat he gagged and had to back down a few inches, but on the second try he succeed at pushing past gag reflex.

"Dear God you're-" Louis said, but forgot what he was supposed to say when Harry pulled his mouth completely off and then took him into his warm mouth again. Harry fastened up his pace slowly, until Louis got close and started pushing his hips up in a messy rhythm.

At some point Harry had started grinding against Louis' leg without noticing it himself, he was already close from days of sexual frustation and the sounds Louis was making and the salty taste in his mouth.

Louis groaned, before coming into Harry's mouth in quick sputters. It was enough to send Harry over the edge too, coming hard in his own pants. They both shook through their orgasms, Harry sucked the head of Louis' cock and circled it with his tongue until the sensation got too much and Louis gently pushed him away.

Harry lifted his head between Louis' legs, and there was a trace of come and saliva tripping out from the corners of his swollen lips. Louis handed him a handkerchief without saying a word, and Harry wiped his mouth. He dropped the blanket on top of Louis' softening dick, not wanting to see it anymore.

"What if I got the text wrong?" Harry asked, after having stood frozen on his knees for a while. "What if it isn't just about penetration and now I'll go to Hell?"

"Then I'll go to Hell armored with a sword and challenge Satan to a duel." Louis said smiling. "Which I win and then I take you to Heaven, Kitten," 

For a second Harry could see it - Louis dressed in a shiny armor, riding a white horse into pits of Hell and challenging the Devil himself because he wanted something. It should've been a painting made by some renaissance artist, he could even see the brush strokes on the horse's plates.

"I wish I was a woman and you were a nobleman," Harry whispered to Louis ear, having lied down next to him. Louis pulled his pants on and wrapped his arms around him.

"I don't. I like us just the way we are," Louis whispered back, experimentally kissing Harry's jawline. When he didn't react he kept kissing along his jaw, nibbling his ear.

"Sinful and impossible," Harry said bitterly and pushed Louis off him. He went to Louis' clothing chest and took out new trousers and pants, without asking for permission, since his own were wet from coming inside them.

"We're landing tomorrow," Louis said. "I could show you around." He sat up as if he was waiting for Harry to come back to him. Harry changed in front of him not bothering to check if he was looking, and walked out without a word.

He hid his clothes under his mattress and left them there waiting till they would reach land and he could wash them. The sex cloud had already started to fade, and he felt nauseous. He put the Bible under his pillow, away from judging him, and went to the deck to get some fresh air. He had to run the last feet before throwing up overboard.

"Harry! Are you all right?" Nora asked, and Harry quickly spat out the last bits of vomit into the sea, and looked down at himself, panicked that there would be cum stain or something else that would give him away.

"Yes," he said, trying to smile. His leg muscles were cramping and a mild headache had started to gnaw it's way in his scull. His mouth tasted horrible.

"I don't believe you," Nora said, walking up to Harry. "You look like you're getting a seizure. How do you feel?"

Harry's hands had started shaking. "I'm okay, please just go away, I-". He couldn't finish because he started crying, Nora grabbed him by his waist and guided him towards her cabin.

The world was blurry and he wanted to get away from the ship, but the only thing on the horizon was sea, water was everywhere and he was stuck with these people. The ship felt like a prison, it was a prison and he was breathing way too fast and his palms started losing feeling and his head was banging. He tried to move his fingers but they were stiff, he wrapped his own hands over his torso and sat down on Gemma's bed. Nora locked the door.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"I-I need Gemma," he gasped between the sobs, he missed her smell and warmth and calming words and didn't want Nora and her bluntness.

"I'll find her." Nora looked relieved of the opportunity to do something else than just stand and stare.

"I can't be alone, please, I-". He started shaking even worse when Nora opened the door and left, knowing that if someone would knock he'd have to answer the door, and he didn't want to see anyone else than Gemma right then. He was afraid his heart was beating too fast, that it would just stop and he would die and then he would go to Hell.

It felt like an eternity before Gemma arrived, and started stroking his back soothingly.

"I miss mum," Harry stuttered. Gemma talked about the garden at home, asked him to think about the smell of the lilies and the sound of the fountain. About how silk felt against his skin and how the horses' neighs could be heard from the distance. He missed it all so bad it hurt.

The fight between the siblings had been forgotten for now, and Gemma's presence felt like the only safe thing on the ship. Even after he stopped crying his stomach twisted in fear when Nora opened the door and left. He refused to leave the room for the rest of the evening, and fell asleep next to Gemma.

...

He probably had broken his own record by sleeping twelve hours, yet he still felt tired after waking up. He felt better, steadier, but he didn't want to see anyone so he waited until the ship was anchored to the dock and the crew had gone their way. Louis had came looking for him but Nora had told him Harry was not feeling well. Which was true.

No one on the ship had worn a long sleeved shirt for days - except Louis who would probably end up ruining his blue coat with sweat - but the hot, moist air that filled Harry's nostrils and brain, all the way to his bones when he got to the deck amazed him. Spain had been warm but this felt like he wouldn't survive the heat for long, yet at the same time it felt oddly nice.

The three of them left the ship to the beautiful village. The houses were all white or light gray, and there seemed to be flowers on every windowsill. Nora had gotten some money from Louis since she'd joined the crew so she paid a dinner for them all at a little place with a view to the sea - a view which would've doubled the prices back in England. They visited a few little shops and Harry bought a brown leather journal, quill and ink. Nora bought a necklace with a green stone, but Gemma didn't want anything. After that the girls wanted to go for a walk together, but Harry wanted to be alone.

"I am not a child, Gems," he said. Gemma's eyebrows were furrowed, and she didn't look convinced.

"I know, but this is a big city and I don't want you to get lost," Gemma said.

"This is not a big city." Harry sighed. "I can see the docks basically from everywhere. And we could buy a map."

"We can't afford a map," Nora intertwined.

"I hate being poor," Harry mumbled. "I'll see you both at the docks by six." He turned on his heels and walked away. Gemma took steps to follow him, but Nora stopped her.

"Let him go, he clearly needs time to be alone," she said.

"What he needs is to be looked after," Gemma said, but let Nora pull her to the other direction. "We could've escaped now!" he shouted to Harry's back, but either he didn't hear or he didn't care.

"No we couldn't," Nora said. "And it's much easier to just let Louis take you two back to England, Lord Styles can afford a few grands."

"You're already rooting for them," Gemma said.

"I'm not 'rooting for' anyone. I just want everyone get out of this situation with no harm done," Nora corrected. "I can hear music - come on, let's see what's going on!"

...

Harry had set his eyes on the small church or chapel the moment he'd spotted the belfry above the other roofs. It still looked inviting when he was hesitating at the port, admiring the well kept garden full of bright flowers and marble angel statues. In front of the church there was a graveyard, and for a reason unknown he slowly got closer to the graves.

_Harry Acosta 15.7-1604-30.1.1662_ the golden letters spelled. They shone in the bright sunlight, making the black gravestone look even darker. Harry's dead namesake made him stop, and wonder about a gravestone that would read  _Harry Styles, 1.2.1694-26.6.1714_ if his heart stopped working right there. His stomach twitched in pain and he sat on a bench next to the graveyard.

He felt nauseous. There were God knew how many skeletons, half rotten bodies, babies that never even got the change to live. Old men and women who after all they had done were one and the same - dirt.

Was  _that_ fair? Was that the meaning of life?

No, he corrected himself. These people had a soul, their souls were resting in Heaven. Or Hell. If people were born sinful, were all the babies that didn't have time to believe in Hell?

Someone had forgotten to water the roses in front of the church. Harry crushed the dry flower in his hand, letting the pieces fall down to the ground as a tear made a way down his cheek.

"It was still beautiful, son," he heard a voice. "Now it's bald. I need to grow new roses."

Harry turned his head and saw a man dressed in a black rope, a priest. "God had already killed it," he answered, staring at the broken petals.

"He did not. I did," the priest answered. "I didn't water them because I was sick and I'm in charge of the flowers. God didn't move my hand."

"When does he?" Harry asked.

"Never. He gave us free will and planted the tree, we are on our own."

Harry eyed him as he sat down next to him. The priest was getting close to his sixties, hair was a blend of gray and dark brown and he had wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"The paradise. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We are foolish for blaming Eve, someone would've eaten it anyways. I would."

"To get away from God?"

"Just like every child needs to move away from their parents at some point. Humanity chose independence and knowledge over an eternal life on a paradise, and it was not the wrong choice, it was a choice. It's okay to question your father if you do so kindly. Leave the flowers alone would you?"

Harry hadn't even noticed he'd broken two more dead roses. His face warmed as he apologized, and brushed the petals off his lap.

"So do you think we can do whatever we like? That the philosophers are right and moral doesn't exist?" Harry said. The priest laughed, the sound reminded him of the warm ground where the flowers were reaching their roots.

"The philosophers don't claim to be right, I admire that about them. I do believe there is moral, and God wants us to follow it, but we should think for ourselves and ask: what is sin just because an authority fears it, and what is it for a reason."

"What do you think is a sin?"

"Come listen to my service tomorrow ten o'clock. Most around here go to the other church and a new face is always welcome."

"I'm - I'm a protestant," he said. The priest smiled.

"We both believe in the same God. Nothing else should matter." He stood up. "But, I have to go so I won't kill the magnolias too. They're very dear to me. See you tomorrow."

...

Gemma looked relieved as he noticed Harry at the dock, as if she had imagined he'd disappear. He smiled at them slightly but refused Gemma's request that he would sleep in their cabin that night too. As he was still arguing with her Louis showed up, and forced his way into their circle of three.

"I thought you weren't feeling well, Kitten," he said, rudely interrupting Gemma's sentence.

"We're all sick of your presence," Gemma said. Nora tried to hide her grin.

"Excuse me, Milady", Louis said. "But I was talking to your brother. I do remember once having reminded you that he's an adult and able to speak for himself."

"Sorry Gems-", Harry started.

"You're apologizing  _for_ him? You're that close?" Gemma said in a mocking tone, but her face was like stone.

"Oh you don't wanna know," Louis said, smiling devilishly. "We kissed once or twice. Among other things."

"That is not true." Gemma sank her nails into Harry's bicep, who winced and inadvertently moved towards Louis. "Tell me it's not true."

The pirate ripped Gemma's hand off Harry, and pulled him protectively to his side.

"You don't need to protect me from each other!" Harry said, struggling out of Louis' grip.

"I'm leaving now. If anyone's interested," Nora said. No one answered her. "Bye."

"You don't know what's good for you Harry," Gemma said. "Tell me, what have you been doing with Louis Calder."

"I have done nothing you don't already know of with Louis Calder," Harry answered, and couldn't help stealing a glance from Louis. The man looked amused, kind of proud, too.

"We need to talk," Gemma said, her voice close to desperation.

"No we don't Gems, my head hurts from all this," Harry said. "I just need to be alone for a while."

He took a few steps before turning to see if either of them was following him, but they were standing still, looking at each other as if they were trying to keep from strangling the other.

"Louis?" Harry said after deciding he did want to talk to the pirate. Louis immediately turned to him. "Come here. I want to speak with you."

Louis apparently couldn't resist the urge to offer Gemma a triumphant grin before he caught up to Harry.

"You're both acting like children," Harry said as he lead Louis out of Gemma's hearing distance.

"Are you free tomorrow ten o'clock?" Harry asked Louis, who was smirking. "What?"

"Are you asking me on a date?" Louis said.

"To a church, yes," Harry said lifting his eyebrows. "I really want you to come."

"Kitten, you know I don't care about religion," Louis said and shifted his weight from one feet to another.

"I don't want to go alone," Harry said moving closer, and looked at the captain from under his eyelashes. Louis pushed his chest.

"Stop that," he said laughing. "I kind of liked you better when you hated me. I only needed to give you alcohol and you were all over me. Now you try to get me into a church by batting your eyelashes. What if I burn to ashes when I step in?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You wont. I've seen men much worse than you turn into faithful Christians."

"I've basically committed all the sins possible - premarital sex, homosexuality, murder, robbery, blasphemy," Louis said. "And I'm not going to get enlightened or anything, I can promise that."

"I know, but please, for me?" Harry asked. Louis sighed.

"If I die I'll kill you," he said, making Harry smile.

"Sure."

...

Surprisingly, Louis was dressed in decent clothing when he opened the door to his cabin for Harry. The flamboyant blue coat was hung on the back of a chair, and he was wearing a white shirt and shoes that were not boots. He'd even shaved and combed his hair.

"Well, you look ready to be converted," Harry said as a greeting. Louis shrugged and followed Harry out of his cabin and up the stairs.

"If I'm going to church I don't want my outfit to scream 'I like to sin'," he said. "I'm not suicidal."

"How do you know my plan isn't to give you to be stoned by the righteous people of the church?" Harry asked.

"Because you wouldn't have said that if it was your plan," Louis said. "Also, I've been to church when I was little a few times. There's something about the first holy and sin-free person throwing the first rock, which I find amusing. If every sin is as bad as the other, why are people so afraid of committing certain ones."

"To show you're trying your best," Harry said, but Louis didn't look convinced. They stopped as they were in front of the chapel. Louis gestured Harry to go in first. The priest Harry had talked to was waiting on the door, greeting everyone that arrived. He smiled when he noticed Harry.

"Hello my rose-hating friend," he said good heartily, and gave him a pat on the back. "You've brought a friend."

"A colleague," Harry tried to mumble.

"And are you young man a believer of our Lord?" he asked.

Harry was afraid Louis would answer something stupid about being here to get into his pants, but to his relief the captain said; "I'm open minded."

The priest smiled, and gave Louis a pat on the back too before sending them in. 

They had to wait ten more minutes before the priest closed the door and the chapel went entirely silent. He walked to the pulpit and started the service.

"What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of free will?" the priest started, and let his eyes wander over all the faces in the crowd while they were thinking.

"How many of you thought of sin or falling?" Some people hesitantly lifted their hands, and the priest nodded. "I thought so. In Christianity now days we seem to remember only one word: sin. We speak of humans as if we were failed copies of our Lord, and we're supposed to feel bad of who we are.

"I don't see the point in that. Free will is a gift from our Father, and gifts are supposed to be handled with joy - but of course care too. A young man with whom I had the pleasure of talking the other day angstily asked me if I  _'believe the philosophers are right and morale does not exist.'_ " He chuckled, and a few people laughed with him, making Harry's cheeks redden. 

"Firstly, I think he's misunderstood the philosophers. Secondly, I think we could learn a lot from the philosophers. There's always choices in our lives, not only between the good thing and the bad thing. They may be between the easy thing and the hard thing, like the case was for Eve and Adam. They chose the consciousness that philosophers keep in such high value instead of immortality.

"That was a decision that changed the future of the human kind forever - changed, not ruined. I believe if our choices don't bring harm to us or the people around us, they are probably right. Even if a priest is telling that this and this verse is against that thing but you're just too dumb to understand. We should read the Bible ourselves and then decide how many of the things the priests are saying are God's will and how many of them are just ways to keep people in fear. Our Heavenly Father wants that we are happy, not scared."

Harry couldn't help stealing glances from Louis through the preach, wanting to see how he reacted. At first Louis had seemed distant, as if he wasn't listening, but the second time Harry looked at him he had his brows furrowed in concentration. A slight flash of amused cockiness could be seen on his face every time the priest mentioned God, but other than that he seemed to be genuinely listening. For some reason it made Harry's stomach flutter, knowing he was doing this all for him. A smile broke on his face and he had to look away until he could control his face again.

When the crowd stood up and started moving towards the altar for Eucharist Harry felt like he was ripped out of a completely different world.

"Are you crying?" Louis asked, which of course made him to turn his head fully for him to see. He rubbed his face with his hands and noticed it was indeed wet from tears.

"Go ahead and joke about kittens crying," Harry snapped, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable.

"I was going to ask if you're alright," Louis said.

"I'm fine," he said while aggressively wiping his face.

...

They had been walking around in a comfortable silence for a while, letting the heat warm their skin and relax their tense muscles. Louis had just bought them a bottle of fresh, cold water when his eyes fixed somewhere. He grabbed Harry's elbow and lead him to a side alley. It was not filthy like some alleys, but it was untidy and full of fabrics with weird patterns and unrecognizable objects made of feathers, and other things that would've had Harry's congregation from home muttering Our Father. Harry needed all his willpower not to do so himself.

"Where are we going?" he asked. Louis knocked on a dark wooden door.

"To meet a pagan," Louis said, and flashed him a grin. Before Harry could protest, he continued. "You took me to a service of worship, it's only fair."

An old woman opened the door, and eyed them suspiciously.

"We have problems with memories," Louis told the woman.

"And do you have something to pay with?" she asked.

Louis leaned forward and lowered his voice, even though there was no one else than the three of them in the alley. "I have vampire blood in my veins."

"Pure?" the woman asked, suddenly interested. Louis shook his head.

"It's only a week old," Louis said, but the woman didn't seem to agree with the  _only_ part.

"I'll need the payment first," she said, letting them step inside. "So what do you need?"

"We are both missing two weeks from five years ago," Louis said. "We don't know who did it, but they were really strong. I know some basic magic and can do simple healing potions but they're of no help."

"You're missing the same weeks?" the woman asked as she took Louis' left hand, and made a small cut to the palm. Louis didn't flinch. She let the blood drop on a piece of wood, where it sizzled weakly.

"Yes," Louis said.

She got up, and pressed her palms against Louis' and Harry's forehead. She closed her eyes, and let her head fall back a little. She stayed that way long enough that Harry started to get uncomfortable.

"There's a block," she said finally. "You both have a similar one but yours-" she pointed her words to Harry "-is pulsing, as if it's trying to control your whole body whereas you-" this time she was talking about Louis "-have yours in control."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"This kind of magic is too strong for a human body to handle," she explained. "Have you ever had some unexplainable symptoms, like headache or sudden illness."

Harry stared at her. "All the time."

Louis turned to him, and looked confused. "You haven't told me," he said.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Harry said to Louis, then turning to the old woman again. "Can you remove the block? Would that cure my sickness too?" He tried not to sound awfully hopeful, but he couldn't help it.

"I can remove the block. But I'm not sure what it would to to your curse - my guess is nothing."

Harry felt his heart sink. "My curse," he repeated. "Is it deathly?"

"Life is deathly," the woman answered. "Depends what you mean by deathly. I know people who've lived ten years with a curse, but theirs weren't as strong as this one."

Yellow dust filled the air when Louis knocked over a wooden bowl in the process of standing up. "You're telling me he only has a few years left?" he asked.

"Don't kill the messenger," the woman said. "And you need to pay for that. Your blood is weak, I'll need gold as well. Are you paying for the both of you?"

Louis sat down again, his knuckles white from pressing his hands into fists. He pushed his hand forwards, offering it. "Yes. Take the blood you need."

Taking Louis' blood took a little over five minutes, and he was looking worryingly pale at the end of it. The woman bound his wound, and asked them to follow her to a backroom. Louis leaned against Harry's shoulder so he wouldn't fall down.

"Lie down," the woman said, gesturing towards the mattresses around the floor. Harry and Louis chose ones that were next to each other, a few feet away from a chair in the middle of the floor.

There were fragranced candles in every corner of the room, and the woman lit them. They started filling the room with heavy, sweet scent.

"Drink these," she ordered again, offering them both a goblet full of blue liquid. It smelled similar to the air, with a hint of something darker and muskier. It warmed Harry's insides as it drained down his throat. The room had started to look dark and fuzzy, and he had to lie down as his body felt heavy. He stared at the ceiling, mesmerized by the shapes that the colorful smoke was creating. He was only half aware that the woman was speaking.

"Now, the only thing you hear is my voice," Harry heard, and suddenly the voice seemed really important. "Follow it, let me take you back in time."

He was on the ship, in Louis' cabin, in the cell in the ship's hold, it was the day his father told everyone that they'd finally caught the feared pirates. The voice took him back to the bench of the church, next to the fireplace where he'd sat with Gemma and their mother. He remembered the terrible pain that he'd woken up to in the middle of the night, and the doctor that told him to pray. He'd promised to God that if he made it through that night he'd be a good Christian for the rest of his life. He remembered the press of unfamiliar bodies against his, the first time he'd told a girl to come upstairs with him. He remembered riding a horse and the wind on his face back when he'd thought that his muscles aching was just a result of training particularly hard that week.

He remembered the yellow leaves in the trees, feeling sick and throwing up everything he tried to consume.

He was suddenly aware of his body, he couldn't breathe and he was shaking. A goblet was pressed on his lips, the bitter drink burned his mouth. His eyes were open but he could only see bright colors flashing before them, red, green, purple, yellow. His body was on fire and he couldn't remember why he'd agreed on doing this, it was horrible and painful and he couldn't even close his eyes.

He was at home, on the palace, and someone was screaming. Everything was flashing.

"You have a guest," he heard the woman say. "Shall I send him in?"

Red, green, orange, pink. Eleanor was walking towards him and her hands were bloody. He realized the one screaming was him but he couldn't stop, Eleanor was grinning, she grabbed his wrist, the leaves were yellow and purple and brown and they were all over the castle, he was covered in the leaves, the were heavy, heavy, the sky was black and there was nothing around him.

"You won't remember a thing," the woman's voice said from the blackness.

...

Something cold was dripping over his body. His muscles were prickling with pain as if he'd been bathing in needles. Something was pressing uncomfortably against his back.

After a while he realized it was his hand, but he couldn't feel or move it. Someone forced him into a sitting position, and poured something into his mouth. He started coughing it out.

"No, swallow, it'll make you feel better." He did as he was told. He was left sitting against the wall with his eyes closed and mouth hanging open when the person moved away from him and started talking to someone else. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and blinked many times before he was able to see anything. The candles had been blown off, and there was an open window. Harry concentrated on breathing in and out. Deep exhale. Deep inhale. Repeat.

The woman was trying to wake up Louis, who looked terrible. He'd already had dark circles under his eyes when they got there, but now he looked like a ghost with his white face and blue lips.

"You took too much blood from him," Harry said angrily, making the woman turn to him. He wasn't sure why he felt so protective over the pirate all of a sudden. "And I still don't remember. You're an impostor."

"It'll take a few weeks for the memories to settle," she said. "And your partner will be fine." She was mumbling something to Louis, who didn't seem to want to wake up or drink the liquid.

"Partner?" Harry asked. He wasn't sure what she'd meant with the word, but also, he just needed to repeat it while looking at Louis.

There was no answer since Louis had finally gulped down the drink, and started shaking in the woman's arms. After a while he opened his eyes, but didn't target them to anything.

"Look after him, I'll fetch you something that takes the sleepiness away for a while," the woman said, and after Harry had taken up holding Louis in sitting position she disappeared out of the door.

"Did you see the same thing that I did?" Louis asked, and he sounded frightened.

"I don't know what you saw," Harry reminded him, which made Louis quieten for a while.

"Don't go," Louis said.

"I'm not going anywhere," Harry said, still feeling drunk himself.

"Good."

The woman came back, and presented them with two narrow leaves. "Chew these, it'll make you feel energetic for an hour or so but after that, I really recommend you to sleep. And drink lots of water."

The leaf tasted a lot like lemon, and as the woman had promised it cleared his mind and made his heart beat faster. Louis paid her with a few golden coins, and they left her little house.

"We should get back to the ship," Louis said. Harry agreed, and they walked in silence. Harry tried to jump over every shadow he saw because his heart was beating, his body full of adrenalin.

"I'm not tired," Harry said. "Maybe we could go and see a little more of the village before we get back..."

"If she says the tiredness is to come back I believe her," Louis said. "I'm feeling it already."

Harry started feeling the heaving of his limbs only when they reached the ship, and when he noticed Zayn approaching them he already had trouble keeping his eyes open.

"Louis-" Zayn started, but Louis gestured making him shut his mouth.

"I'm not feeling well. I'll go to my cabin and no one is to disturb me before next morning."

Zayn glanced at Harry but said nothing and let them pass.

"I don't want to go to my own cabin," Harry said. "I can't lock the door."

"You can sleep with me," Louis said. "That hasn't seemed to be a problem to you lately."

"It isn't," Harry said.

... 

It was way too hot when Harry woke up. His chest felt heavy so he tried to kick the blanket off but he didn't succeed. Slowly he realized that what was on top of him wasn't the weight of guilt or hangover but an unconscious pirate captain.

Louis' hands were on Harry's sides, and he was lying half on top of him. His grip was tight, but it wasn't like the night he'd woken up to Louis hissing and crushing him. Louis was moving against him in a slow, sleepy rhythm, his face pressed to Harry's neck. Harry's leg was between Louis' legs, and he could feel the other man hard against his thigh.

As usual, his body was a step ahead of him, and he could feel the twist of interest between his own legs. With Louis' soft breath against his bare skin and the friction of his clothes against his crotch created, he could feel himself growing hard too. He had to stop himself from pulling the captain closer.

Instead, he shook Louis' shoulder. "Louis! Wake up!"

He tried to wriggle out of the other man's grip, but it was not a good idea since now their crotches were pressed together. He had to bite his lip to prevent himself from moaning.

Luckily, Louis didn't take long to open his eyes.

Louis looked at him and blinked a few times, his body having stopped moving. Harry's heart was racing in his chest. Instead of repenting the captain smiled, and it quickly turned into a smirk.

"Morning, Kitten," he said looking down at Harry.

"We're, um-" he couldn't finish his sentence as suddenly, his mouth was occupied by Louis' lips.

This time, Louis tasted of lemon and musk. The press of his lips was gentle, as if Harry was a delicate flower he didn't want to break. Harry couldn't help opening his lips a little, letting Louis hands guide him underneath him. Louis' legs were straddling him, and he could feel the want pulse in his own veins.

"No, Louis," he murmured against Louis' lips and when it had no effect he gave his chest a little push. That made him stop, and sit up on top of him. "I can't."

Louis was panting, his cheeks were rosy and he was only wearing his undershirt which gave Harry a perfect view of his collarbones.

"We both want each other," Louis protested weakly. He looked caught off guard.

"No," Harry said.

"There's no use being in denial."

"You don't understand, I truly can't," Harry said, begging him to understand. "I can't have - we can't - I'm not supposed to agree to have sex with a man."

Then, a thought hit him, and he said it before he could think it over, because then he would certainly realize everything wrong with the idea. "I can't let you have sex with me. I just can't give you the permission."

"What are you-" Louis said, and Harry could see the moment he realized what he was suggesting. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know what you are saying," Harry said, staring Louis hard into the eyes, his gaze saying  _I'm sure_ .

Louis tried to lean forward, and looked confused when Harry didn't let him.

"I'm not willing," Harry reminded him. "To have me stay you'd probably have to tie me up."

"Kinky," Louis said, but pressed Harry's wrists to the bed with his other hand, and picked up his belt from the floor with the other. He pressed his lips against Harry's again, but this time it was rougher and hungrier than the last. He tried to tie the belt to the headboard the same time.

Louis moved to his neck, and Harry let his head fall back.

"Stop," he said, like a moan. Louis stopped. "Why'd you stop. I mean-"

Louis let the belt fall, and it slid over Harry's wrists and to the floor like a dead snake.

"I can't fucking do this," Louis said, rolled off Harry and sat up. "Did you know Eleanor asked me to kill you?"

Harry sat up as Louis stood, and it was hard to register what he was saying as all his body was feeling was a mixture of arousal and confusion. "What?"

"I'm risking my own life not killing you, Harry Styles. I could never hurt you but you just keep playing with my emotions and I may have been in love with you as long as I can remember but that doesn't mean I can't hate you! I can fucking control myself and I'm done with you! Get out - get out!"

Harry jumped out of the bed and when he stood still for a moment too long Louis threw his shoe at him, then the other. He caught them and made it to the door. Then it hit him.

"Did you just say you're-" he begun, but Louis icy glare shut him up.

Just before Harry closed the door, Louis started speaking. His voice was now calm, and it was much more terrifying than his shouting had been.

"Don't think for a moment that's good news for you. Criminals are particularly known for getting rid of things that make them weak." 


End file.
